Bruins rookie Jake DeBrusk never wants to be a healthy scratch again

Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was a perfect game for the Boston Bruins.

Wait. What?

You must be asking yourself if you read that correctly. Yes, you did. That loss was exactly what the Bruins needed at this point. Of course two points would have been better for the struggling team as it lost its third game in a row, but from a developmental standpoint, it was an effective performance.

The Bruins played a fantastic game and received contributions from players that have been slacking of late. It was also an opportunity for rookie forward Jake DeBrusk, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, to watch the game from press level. Any game is easier to “play” when you’re sitting six stories above of the ice.

Almost every player in the NHL, including those with the Bruins, has dealt with a similar situation. It’s part of the developmental process. Not only did he watch from press level, the coaching staff has been going over video with DeBrusk and pinpointing the areas that he needs to improve.

“There are a lot of things I need to improve,” he said. “I’m pretty hard on myself and very accountable as well. I’ve watched the videos more times than once, actually.

“It’s one of those situations you never want to be in as a player, especially when you’re healthy. It was a different perspectives on the game and you can see a lot of things from up there and a lot of things I can take into the next game.”

No matter how many seasons a player has in the NHL, there’s always room for improvement. The best players in the world will tell you that, but more importantly, they prove it during the offseason and in practices. Then there are times when a coach believes a struggling player needs to step back and hit the reset button and that’s the case right now for DeBrusk.

“You can take it however you want to take it, but I believe it’s a negative thing. It’s never good when you’re not out there helping the team,” DeBrusk said. “There are certain reasons why it happened and I’m taking a positive approach of changing those things, so this doesn’t happen again. Lots of (veteran players) have been scratched during their long careers and some of those experiences helped them get back on track and I’m looking to do the same thing.”

Bruce Cassidy made it clear that this wasn’t a demotion or punishment for DeBrusk. In fact, the coach said the rookie has played well. DeBrusk simply hasn’t been playing with the same energy he started the season with.

“He’s not going to be an effective player if he not moving his legs,” Cassidy said. “If he has his legs, he is a very effective player. He might now always score, but he’s on pucks and creating anxiety for the D. The last couple of games he’s lost a little bit of that. I don’t know if it’s that time of year, so maybe a little tutelage upstairs might do him some good. Sometimes it helps players and other times it sets them back, so we’ll find out.”

In 15 games this season, DeBrusk has three goals and three assists for six points. He ranks last on the team with a minus-10 rating.

Entering the offseason, the Bruins told DeBrusk he would be playing with David Krejci and David Pastrnak once training camp began. That meant the rookie would have to play in the so-called dirty areas in front of the net and in the corners. DeBrusk is more than willing to play that role, and he has the ability to be successful at it, especially once he gets bigger and stronger.

Former Bruins forward, and three-time Stanley Cup winner, Mark Recchi will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night in Toronto and he made a career of scoring those types of greasy goals.

“Well, you’ve got to be willing to go there, No. 1,” Recchi said. “It’s not an easy spot to go to and it continues to get harder and harder as teams defend even better and players are faster. It’s a mindset to be willing to go there and pay a price.”

Recchi, who’s the assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins, said his message to young players has always been “make sure you’re having fun.” To be successful in the NHL, a player needs to love the game. He needs to love the hard work that it takes during the offseason, and he’s got to be willing to put in the work during the arduous regular season.

DeBrusk is angry that he was a healthy scratch and that’s a good sign. He loves the game and it shows in his frustrations Cassidy said he expects DeBrusk will be back in the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, so how he responds in that game will show what type of character he possesses.

“I’m doing everything I can to get back in and when I get back in I’ll be ready to go and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.