Bruins Notebook: Jake DeBrusk draws some praise from coach - Boston Herald

Jake DeBrusk appeared to be trending the wrong way.

After generally making solid improvements to his all-around game this season, he backslid in the loss to Edmonton on Thursday, getting beaten on two goals, including the game-winner. He then fell down on the Devils’ first goal of the game in the second period on Saturday, cutting the B’s two-goal lead to one and making the game a little more tense than it needed to be.

But just as some citizens of the Black and Gold Twitterverse were unsheathing their knives for DeBrusk, he rebounded in the third period. He made a key defensive play to thwart a backdoor play by the Devils and, later, coach Bruce Cassidy rewarded DeBrusk by putting him on the ice in the empty net situation with the B’s up by two goals. The winger paid the coach back by essentially ending the game with an empty-net goal.

Maybe that can be the impetus for DeBrusk to become the player that he can be, one who can play 200 feet but also produce like he did in the first couple of years of his career. While Cassidy has delivered his share of tough love messages to DeBrusk over the years, the one he gave the player on Saturday was a positive one.

“(Saturday) there were times that his details were off. He was reminded. That’s our job as coaches and our leadership. But he was out there at the end because I have faith in Jake to get the job done. He needs to have more faith in himself at times and just play the right way,” said Cassidy on Sunday morning. “He’s a smart hockey player. We use him on the penalty kill. When he’s on, his details are crisp and sharp, he goes to the right place. He made a good play by putting out a fire at the back door by being the low winger getting down there, so his awareness was there, his willingness, his engagement were there. Some wall battles were good. Some of them, and I’ve said this with Jake all the time, sometimes we need a little more second effort on certain plays from him and I think he could be a really good player. And that’s kind of on him. But his details and knowledge of the game are good. I trust him in those situations. Like everyone, you want to make sure he gets the job done but I believe he knows where to go in those situations late in the game with the goalie out. He’s certainly willing to block a shot, get in a shooting lane. We’ve seen lots of that.”

DeBrusk was slated on Sunday to start on a line with center Tomas Nosek while right wing Oskar Steen, who has been Providence’s leading scoring (5-5-10 in seven games), drew into the lineup. Steen was going in for Curtis Lazar, who Cassidy said was battling through an injury and didn’t want to play him on the second half of the back-to-back.

But Cassidy said there was a little more to Steen going in than just giving Lazar a breather.

“We want to look at some younger guys. We do,” said Cassidy. “We’d like to create some competition from underneath a little bit and I think Steen can go in there. There’s a little bit of that too. Can he push someone? He’s played well in Providence. He’s been up a few times (to the point) where he has a better understanding of the league and what’s expected of him. And we’ll see how it goes.”

Zboril stays in, Reilly stays out

Speaking of competition, Jakub Zboril remained in the lineup after playing a good game in Jersey, the second game he’s made it into the lineup this year.

Mike Reilly, who the B’s signed to a three-year extension worth $3 million annually, was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

“He has to work hard to get back on pucks and be clean on the breakout. He has to play more north,” said Cassidy of Reilly’s current deficiencies. “I think he’s having the tendency this year to circle back, circle back to where the forwards are so far ahead that we basically lose any attack. One of the strengths of his game last year I noticed when he got here was his neutral zone transition first pass. He got the puck up in a hurry and now we’re going. We appear faster because the puck’s moving quick. This year, he’s having the tendency to drag it back way too often. I think he has to get back on his fair share of pucks as well. He’s leaving some of that dirty work to his partner too often when it’s his turn. I think his O-zone blue line’s been OK. That was the other area we noticed last year was very good. Some of that is on us to make sure we have a good high forward. They seem to work better in tandem. This year, his execution with plays up there are not happening as much as last year. That’s the part of the offensive side that we want from him.”

But had Zboril not played the way he did on Saturday, Reilly might have gotten back in there against the Habs.

“I’ve got to tell you, Jakub’s worked hard to be ready, and he was (Saturday),” said Cassidy. “He was ready to play. That’s a good sign from him, (being) a good pro, where in years past I’m not sure he would have done that. Hopefully that translates to (Sunday’s) game. That’s why he’s going back in. It’s not a one-and-done if he can stay ready and sharp. Then go. Go take someone’s job.”

Swayman gets back-to-back starts

Cassidy said on Saturday that Jeremy Swayman had moved ahead of Linus Ullmark in the goalie competition and, on Sunday, the coach backed up those words. In a rarity, Swayman got the nod for Sunday’s start against the Canadiens after playing the first half of the back-to-back on Saturday. …

After Sunday’s game, the B’s have five straight days, another quirk in one of the oddest schedules we’ve seen. They next play on Saturday in Philadelphia.

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Bruins Notebook: Jake DeBrusk draws some praise from coach - Boston Herald
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