Would Jake DeBrusk still be invested after not having his trade request fulfilled prior to last week’s deadline? It seemed like a fair question to ask.
The Bruins didn’t add another forward, so they were going to need DeBrusk to be their first-line right wing. That seemed like a bit of a worrisome proposition given that DeBrusk was in the midst of a cold stretch at the March 21 deadline, with the Bruins’ game that night the seventh in an eight-game goalless drought (four games of which overlapped with linemate Patrice Bergeron’s absence due to an arm infection).
DeBrusk’s request remained active right through deadline day, so there was naturally some concern from fans about whether he might be “checked out” after getting stuck in Boston for the rest of the season.
Talking to reporters after the deadline, DeBrusk insisted that he wasn’t looking at as a negative situation and that he was fully committed to helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
“Obviously I’m playing on a very good line at the moment. I’ll do anything I can to stay there and help the team win,” he said. “Like I said, it’s all about winning the Stanley Cup at this point. I think anybody can get behind that.”
DeBrusk’s actions are backing up his words. He has snapped out of that cold spell and is now back on a hot streak, registering three goals and an assist in the last three games.
There has been some luck involved in all three goals, but DeBrusk helped create that luck by being active around the net. One he banked in off the goalie’s back, but he had to battle for position to get to the rebound in the first place. One deflected off his skate and in, but he had to go to the slot to be in the right place for that. His goal in Thursday’s 8-1 win over the Devils came off a horrible rebound given up by Nico Daws, but DeBrusk had to be driving to the net to take advantage.
DeBrusk’s work on two other Boston goals Thursday night -- one he got an assist on and one he didn’t -- was arguably even more encouraging than his own goals.
On Brad Marchand’s first goal of the night, DeBrusk stepped around a check on the zone entry, nearly scored himself, tracked down his own rebound, then tracked down Matt Grzelcyk’s blocked shot and showed some good patience before setting up Marchand.
On Marchand’s second goal, DeBrusk hammered Devils defenseman Ty Smith on the forecheck, shaking up Smith and allowing the Bruins to gain possession. A couple seconds later, Mike Reilly set up Marchand to make it 6-1.
“Good effort,” Bruce Cassidy said when asked about DeBrusk’s play. “It was a real good forecheck, knocked Smith off the puck, he doesn’t recover, we score a little bit after that. Those are some things we want him to do -- create havoc on the forecheck with either your foot speed, stick or physicality. Guys that can use all of the above is obviously the best formula. But for us and him and certain guys, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do create some uncomfortableness. He did. He was physical, knocked him off the puck. I thought he attacked when he had opportunities. His legs were there to attack the net.”
Marchand sees DeBrusk playing more stress-free since the deadline and playing the “playoff hockey” the Bruins need from him.
“It’s big. That’s playoff hockey right there. Jake has found his game,” Marchand said. “There seems to be a weight lifted off his shoulders. I think he’s just happy to be here and kind of have the stress of everything out of the way, at least for right now. And he’s been playing better. That is the type of hockey we’re going to need going forward. You look at the teams around the league that are in playoff position, especially in the East, the teams we’re gonna see, they’re big, they’re heavy, the D are tough and they compete hard. We’re gonna have that every single night moving forward, so it’s something we have to establish every night.”
The Marchand-Bergeron-DeBrusk line has been dominant possession-wise since being put together, as the Bruins have 67.7% of shot attempts and 77.1% of expected goals with them on the ice. The actual goals were lagging a bit behind for a little while, but that was a product of all three hitting shooting slumps right around the same time as much as anything.
That's changing now. In addition to DeBrusk catching fire again, Marchand now has seven goals in his last seven games after going eight games without one, and Bergeron has a goal and four assists in three games since returning to the lineup.
Cassidy said he was encouraged by DeBrusk’s play even when the puck wasn’t going in, and credits that effort for DeBrusk ending this slump sooner than some of his others in recent years.
“Jake gets streaky sometimes, and right now it’s going in for him. Seems to get him more excited -- some wingers are like that -- so let’s ride with it,” Cassidy said. “And then when it doesn’t start going in, as long as he keeps his good habits, you usually get out of those quicker. I think he’s been able to do that the second half. That’s one of the differences, is he finds his game quicker than maybe he has in the past. Maybe some of that has to do with who he’s playing with as well. They tend to create a lot of opportunities no matter what.”
DeBrusk will ultimately be judged by how he performs in the postseason, but for now he’s doing what he needs to do to alleviate any concerns about whether or not he’s locked in.
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