Absence of Jake DeBrusk’s scoring touch felt on punchless Bruins roster
"This league will humble anybody. And I've been humbled a couple of times."
Fortune favored Jake DeBrusk on Tuesday night.
The former Bruins winger made a living in Boston cashing in on greasy goals in high-danger ice.
Over 484 games in a black-and-gold sweater, DeBrusk became an effective (albeit inconsistent) source of scoring in a top-six role — lighting the lamp 143 times as a Bruin.
Very few of those tallies came as easily as Tuesday’s in his first game on Causeway Street as a visitor.
The Canucks’ top-line forward cashed in on the power play in the second period. After Quinn Hughes’ point shot ricocheted off of Conor Garland in the crease, DeBrusk deposited the loose puck past Jeremy Swayman with a backhand tap-in.
It was all that Vancouver needed on a night where Boston’s listless offense failed to get Joe Sacco’s team off the mat.
“I got a good bounce,” DeBrusk said of his tally. “Usually, in past years I get that goal disallowed. So it’s kind of ironic how it switched. … That was probably the weirdest game I’ve played since my first-ever game, as far as my mental state.
“But the guys were great, kept cheering me. I can’t overstate that I thought it was going to be [weird], but I try to take everything in stride.”
DeBrusk was a polarizing figure in Boston, to say the least. Despite his evident talent and penchant for elevating his game during critical playoff bouts, he was prone to sustained scoring droughts.
A trade request that went public in 2021 and his rocky relationship with former Boston bench boss Bruce Cassidy further soured some of the sentiment regarding the talented forward.
But for all of the warts in DeBrusk’s game, his skillset has been sorely missed this season — especially on a Bruins team seemingly allergic to lighting the lamp.
As hot-and-cold as DeBrusk’s baseline production might have been at times for Boston, the 28-year-old wing’s nose for the net, knack for tipping point shots into twine, and ability to cash in on chances on the rush would be welcomed on this current squad.
As advertised, DeBrusk didn’t record his first goal with Vancouver until his 10th game in a blue sweater. Since then, he’s scored six goals in his last 11 contests. DeBrusk’s six tallies would tie him with Brad Marchand for the second-most on the 2024-25 Bruins, while his 14 points would put him third on Boston’s roster.
DeBrusk’s netfront work and puck retrieval habits on the man advantage have been missed on a Bruins power play currently last in the league with a 12.4 percent success rate. His departure in free agency has also hampered Boston’s penalty kill (77.3 percent), given his development as a dependable two-way regular.
“I’ve had lots of great memories,” DeBrusk said of his return to Boston. “It’s a weird feeling, because I have no ill will to anybody, honestly. Just part of the way business is and part of life.”
Vancouver’s gain stood as Boston’s loss in what was another frustrating loss for the Bruins on Tuesday night.
Sacco’s tenure as Boston’s interim head coach has led to stronger returns in the D-zone. An emphasis on peppering opposing goalies should allow for more rebounds, tips, and second-chance bids for the Bruins’ beefed-up forward corps.
At first glance, Sacco and Co. should be happy with most of Boston’s underlying numbers against the Canucks.
The Bruins dominated Tuesday’s game as far as puck possession, generating chances, and limiting looks down the other end of the ice.
Over 60 minutes, the Bruins held a commanding edge in:
Shot attempts: 72-31
Shots on goal: 33-15
Scoring chances: 36-11
High-danger scoring chances: 18-2
The Canucks, however, led in the most important statistic:
Goals scored: 2-0
Boston’s recent buy-in on the defensive end should allow them to stay in most contests, while an increased shot volume should lead to more scoring chances. But that approach isn’t going to lead to wins if the Bruins can’t actually cash in on their looks in the offensive zone.
The Bruins have now been shut out four times in their last 17 games, averaging just 1.76 goals per contest over that stretch. Boston’s last third-period goal at TD Garden came all the way back on Oct. 11 — during the team’s home opener against Montreal.
As DeBrusk put pen to paper on a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with Vancouver on the first day of free agency, Boston allocated most of its cap space toward Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
The Bruins entered the year believing it had a roster in place to be a tough out in the postseason. But Boston won’t punch a ticket to the playoffs if the collective roster continues to fire blanks in Grade-A ice.
And with DeBrusk now out of the equation, the Bruins are going to need to look elsewhere to find some scoring punch.
“It was ingrained in me since I was 18,” a reflective DeBrusk said of the high standards set in Boston. “It took a long time for me. In some ways, I’m still learning. But probably the biggest thing [I learned] is adversity.
“Honestly, whether it was myself doing it or just how the game is — I always found a way to kind of keep persevering through — trying to make the most of your chances. And sometimes it’s definitely not pretty. It’s ugly. This league will humble anybody. And I’ve been humbled a couple of times. So I think the biggest thing I learned here is how to deal with adversity, whether it’s personal or just in general.”
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