As more lineup regulars return, spotlight falls on Jake DeBrusk to break through

With David Krejci back in the fold, there is reason for some optimism among Boston's forward corps.

Nick Ritchie, one of Boston's top surprises this season, has been a power-play weapon for the B's in his first full season with the Original Six club — but has also gained some traction in Boston's top six, ranking fourth on the club with seven goals in 19 games.

After a dormant stretch, Charlie Coyle has settled back into a groove (four points in last four games) as Boston's stand-in 2C, with the veteran pivot and his regular linemate in Craig Smith now afforded easier matchups on the third line once again. No longer just regarded as a pure scrapper, Trent Frederic has emerged as a dependable bottom-six regular this year, tallying two goals in his last four games.

And even on a fourth line that has been put on the ropes this season, there stands plenty of intrigue in terms of what rookie Jack Studnicka can offer that checking unit at the pivot position. 

Of course, Bruins fans have been down this road plenty of times before when it comes to hoping for multiple breakthroughs up front outside of that top line. But for the first time in awhile, it does seem as though multiple skaters are at least trending in the right direction when it comes to sparking the B's secondary scoring.

Of course, not all of them are in the same boat — namely Jake DeBrusk.

Hot-and-cold stretches have plagued DeBrusk throughout his career, but this current drought is awfully hard on the eyes.

One goal in 14 games — including zero at 5v5 play. Boston has been outscored, 7-5, in his 166:55 of 5v5 ice time. A 3.3 shooting percentage.

While there are still multiple details the Bruins must still iron out to get back their winning ways of January and early February, the spotlight has now focused firmly on DeBrusk to produce — with the ceiling on Boston's 5v5 scoring output stunted for however long his scoring slump endures.

While the lack of tangible production is eye-opening when it comes to DeBrusk's struggles this season, perhaps what's most concerning to Bruce Cassidy is that the 24-year-old winger has rarely popped on the film by doing the little things that lead to consistent Grade-A looks — winning puck battles, battling at the netfront, etc.

“Jake has more to give," Cassidy said. "I think he’s had pockets of real good hockey and other inconsistent moments where he’s not playing to his strengths to affect the game. By that, I mean turning some pucks over on the forecheck. Attack and get inside ice when you have an opportunity when there’s maybe a vulnerable D one-on-one. Second effort around the net, some rebound opportunities. I don’t see Jake enough in the video after."

When you're fighting the puck and bounces aren't going your way, sometimes it takes a greasy goal or a simple play to get the looks that haven't been there on the ice for a prolonged stretch. For DeBrusk, that means hovering around the blue paint in search of a tip or a rebound opportunity, with Cassidy pointing to Charlie McAvoy's goal on Sunday afternoon as an example, in which Patrice Bergeron — who usually operates a bit higher up the ice at his "bumper" spot — opted to battle down low and screen Alexandar Georgiev, giving McAvoy an opportunity to uncork a shot that sailed into the Rangers' net. Bergeron wasn't credited with a helper on the play, but his role was instrumental in generating a 5v5 tally for the B's.

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Even if DeBrusk isn't etching his name into the scoresheet at a consistent clip, Cassidy expects the struggling forward to at least follow Bergeron's lead and do the little things that lead to goals for his linemates on the ice.

“He’s not there the whole time,” Cassidy said of Bergeron's screen on Sunday. “But he’s there when it’s his turn to go there. It’s what he does so well. It’s what that line does so well. That’s what we want to see a little more of from Jake. When it’s your turn to be the inside net presence, stay there and don’t get pushed out of there easily. Sometimes you do with a bigger opponent. That’s a little bit of the ask of Jake offensively. He's a good rush player. Certainly when he gets in all alone and has space, he's got a shot that can beat goaltenders clean, but that doesn't always present itself. So that's what we're looking for."

With Ondrej Kase still out, DeBrusk's spot in the lineup seems to be secure for now — but Boston only has so much rope to give before it needs to start looking elsewhere, whether that be a player on the NHL roster or even a Providence product like Zach Senyshyn. At this point, Boston has done what it can to get DeBrusk going, especially when it comes to handing him plenty of starts in the offensive zone.

As we noted last week, among the 519 NHLers that have logged at least 150 minutes of 5v5 ice time this season, DeBrusk ranks NINTH overall in terms of Offensive Zone Faceoff percentage at 69.23. In other words, 69% of DeBrusk's faceoffs have all come in the offensive zone, which should lead to better chances, given that fewer shifts are starting with taxing minutes spent defending in the B's own end or in the neutral zone. And yet, despite those lopsided starts, DeBrusk still has zero 5v5 goals to show for it.

At some point, something's got to give — and it's going to be on DeBrusk to get himself out of this hole. If not, someone else will need to be tasked with driving the B's secondary-scoring production, because Boston can't keep this up for an entire campaign.

“The onus falls on the player, no matter who your center is or other winger, just to line up and play hockey,” Cassidy said. “That’s a little bit of what we’re expecting from Jake. Yes, in the long run, it might affect some of your totals. But you should still be a good hockey player once the puck drops when you’re in the lineup, whether you’re on the left or right, that’s just my feeling on it.”