Jake DeBrusk came into Thursday's game with a new stick, a new haircut and a new attitude. It was easy to see that Bruce Cassidy's decision to scratch DeBrusk on Tuesday motivated him to step up his game against the New York Rangers, which he did from start to finish in the Bruins' 4-0 win, scoring his first five-on-five goal of the season in the process.
"I think the reason that I played that way tonight was because I was pissed off," DeBrusk said. "I'm keeping that. That's not going away."
By sitting DeBrusk on Tuesday, Bruce Cassidy wanted to make it clear that he expected a better effort from his second-line winger. Message received.
"I knew I was going to come with some heat today," DeBrusk said. "I took it personally for sure. I mean, who wouldn't? Anytime that you get scratched it stings."
DeBrusk's teammates also were impressed with his effort. His linemate David Krejci commented that, "He had his skating wheels," while Brad Marchand went even further, calling DeBrusk a phenomenal player.
"Jake did a great job responding and having a big game tonight," Marchand said. "Even more than his goal I liked his details. He was stopping on pucks, he was competing hard, finishing checks, blocking shots. That's how he has to play. I mean he's going to score when he gets in position, but it's other areas of his game that when he plays like that, he's a phenomenal player."
Marchand also expressed how important DeBrusk's success is to the Bruins' playoff hopes: "We need him to be a big player if we're going to be a dangerous team and we're going to compete for the Cup."
Going forward, Marchand is confident there are more performances like this to come from DeBrusk.
"The previous years he's been here, when he scores he just catches fire," Marchand said. "He just finds that confidence within himself."
DeBrusk reacts to media criticism
DeBrusk didn't only elevate his game in response to Cassidy's decision to scratch him, he also believed that he had something to prove to the media, saying after the game, "I know what I need to do. There's been lots of articles, you guys can probably figure it out too."
He made subtle references to his treatment by Boston sports media on several occasions.
"It feels like everyone thinks I'm kinda done here," DeBrusk said to reporters in his postgame press conference, adding, "I'm a pretty easy target at the moment."
He received criticism before Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders for not scoring an even-strength goal in his first 17 games this season, with only one power-play goal on his stat line.
"Everyone loves to point out statistics, everyone loves to point out the goals and assists, but you've got to look at the actual game," he said. "I think that my details were better tonight and that's why I actually got on the board. This is what I need to do."
DeBrusk's adjustments were made on and off the ice
After the Bruins' win over New York, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy noted the improvements he saw in DeBrusk's game.
"He was better I thought on the walls for sure," Cassidy said. "He's trying to affect the play up the ice on the forecheck, a little second effort below the goal line to keep some pucks alive in o-zone play. I liked what I saw tonight, happy that he scored, him and Krech both. They've been a little bit snake-bit."
Before the game was even underway DeBrusk made the decision to change his stick and even trim his long hair, joking after the game, "Yeah it worked," and, "I want to thank my hairdresser there in Southie."
Regarding DeBrusk's stick, he ditched his non-conventional Bauer Nexus ADV, which features a hole in its blade, for a model he had previously used. He noticed he was shooting well with it in warmups and decided to make the change.
"Just a full reset, you know? I'm not blaming the stick, it's the player. I think my game was better tonight," DeBrusk said.
"It wasn't working," he said about his previous stick. "You kind of lose your mind so you got to try something."
DeBrusk's reset and response could mark a turnaround in his 2021 season
"It's time to build," DeBrusk said after Thursday's win. "You know any time you go through these lows and highs -- I mean I haven't had a high yet. … I was pretty beyond frustrated already and it just kind of was nice, a nice little reset."
Brad Marchand thinks the "reset" and DeBrusk's response will help relieve some of the pressure that has been put on him.
"When you get that goal, when you start scoring, it's almost like a weight lifted off of his shoulder," Marchand said. "The puck's going to find him, he's too good of a player, he's going to get his chances, but you know he did a great job tonight."
