Jake DeBrusk scored the deciding goal in the Bruins' 2-1 win against the Senators on Tuesday for his 23rd of the season.
The Edmonton, Alberta native has now pocketed goals in three straight games and trails only David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron for most goals among Bruins skaters.
DeBrusk's recent uptick in offensive production shows his pivotal role on the top line of the best team in the NHL.
"At that speed, it's kind of hard to think," DeBrusk said to reporters. "Usually it's either a quick shot but I thought I could get him on the other side, I just thought I could do it. It's probably more instincts with the amount of speed I was coming with, I knew he was a big guy and had long legs so it was one of those risky goals."
DeBrusk's speed adds another element to a line that features one of the smartest thinkers of the game in Patrice Bergeron and someone with game-changing tools like Brad Marchand.
DeBrusk showcased his wheels on his goal against the Senators as the 26-year-old made a bee-line for the backpost and slipped past every Ottawa defender. It took a fantastic pass from Marchand to create the goal, but DeBrusk's high-end skating ability made it possible.
"Obviously it was all-world," DeBrusk said of Marchand's pass. "It was one of those things where I saw him and I just tried to get open and he threaded it through a couple guys to me for a breakaway. As you could tell by my reaction I didn't what to do, I tried to point at him but I was going to fast. It was one of those passes where it was all-world and I was happy to finish it for him. There were a couple of passes that they gave me where I could've had a couple more."
Just an absurd pass from Brad Marchand to Jake DeBrusk for the goal: pic.twitter.com/K2fLUvLzDH
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) March 21, 2023
Against the Senators, DeBrusk's speed was particularly useful opposite a defensive scheme that tends to trap teams in the neutral zone.
"Obviously there were a lot of turnovers, they play a 1-3-1 and that's where they feast off of," DeBrusk said. "They have a lot of skilled forwards that can make you pay and their defensemen are agile and they can move. We wanted to clean up our game and get everything north and play that grindy style where everything comes from the outside."
DeBrusk missed 17 games after suffering two injuries during the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. Once the left-shot winger returned on Feb. 18, DeBrusk compiled goals in his first three games back, before tallying just one goal in his next 10.
Luckily for the Bruins, his offensive dry spell wasn't all that noticeable given the depth of the team, but his return to the scoresheet only means good things for the Black and Gold.
"There was a little stretch there where the reality of coming back from injury being too hard on myself and also limiting what I do well," DeBrusk said. "I'm just trying to get my feet moving and go to the hard areas."
Since joining the top line in Feb. 2022, DeBrusk has earned 39 goals in 84 games, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. That mark counts as the 42nd-most over that time.
It's crazy to think that things could have turned out much different for DeBrusk after he requested a trade last season. However, now that the former first-round pick has solidified his spot on the first line, his play will go a long way in helping the Bruins secure another Stanley Cup.