DeBrusk's Hat Trick Paces Bruins to Blowout in L.A.

LOS ANGELES - Jake DeBrusk has had his share of goals wiped off the board over the years.
As such, he's prepared himself to be disappointed any time the on-ice officials go to the headset.
So, when he tipped a Patrice Bergeron wrister by Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick early in the second period on Monday night, it would have been no surprise to him should it have been disallowed for being ruled a high stick.
These days, however, fortune is very much on the winger's side. That was abundantly clear after DeBrusk's tally stood following video review and capped his first career hat trick in the Bruins' 7-0 shellacking of the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

"I thought it was close. It's a fast play. I knew it was a fairly high shot, but I knew it was around that area," said DeBrusk, who added an assist on the B's final goal of the night to secure his first career four-point game. "Obviously as the replay showed, it's really, really close. I've had a lot of those go against me. It was nice, that's for sure…as soon as you get two, you always want the third. I was lucky enough to get it and help the team."
DeBrusk's torrid stretch rolled on against the Kings with the hat trick extending his point streak to five games, a span in which he now has seven goals and nine points. The 25-year-old, who is up to 14 goals and 24 points in 48 games this season, became the second Bruins winger to notch a natural hat trick (three straight goals) this season, joining David Pastrnak, who accomplished the feat on Jan. 13.
"I feel pretty decent," said DeBrusk. "Obviously when pucks are going in and the production's there, it feels good. But still lots of work to be done. We've got a game [Tuesday] against Anaheim. Enjoy this for a little bit and then get ready for another tough task."

While his streak began before his promotion to Boston's top line, the Edmonton native is certainly reaping the benefits of playing with Brad Marchand and Bergeron, having notched five goals and seven points in three games alongside the B's dynamic duo.
"[He's] scored in different ways, shooting, going to the net, nice play on the [last goal]," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "I think he's doing some good things on the wall, too, on his off-side. There's some advantages to taking pucks there and he's been good at that as well.
"I think he's working above pucks, trying to play the right way. Happy for him. It's made us a more dangerous lineup, obviously, when he's going and contributing on that line."
DeBrusk knows that he's been labeled as "streaky" at times during his five-year career and has tried to view the description with some perspective. While there have certainly been some down stretches - he notched just five goals in 41 games last season during the COVID-shortened campaign - DeBrusk has always believed he has the ability to succeed on a nightly basis. That was evident during his first two NHL seasons when he notched career highs in points (43 in 2017-18) and goals (27 in 2018-19) playing mostly as Boston's second-line left wing alongside David Krejci.
"It's actually a funny way of looking at it," DeBrusk said of the ups and downs. "I think that means that I have the attributes to do it if that makes any sense. This is the best league in the world. It's hard to do that every night, even top guys on each team have off nights or off swings. I sure like it when things are going like this."
Cassidy said the Bruins should "enjoy the peak right now" when asked about DeBrusk's streakiness, while adding that when the winger is playing consistently, his skating helps him to contribute in various ways in all three zones.
"When he's first on the forecheck turning pucks over, which he's done very well with that group," Cassidy said when asked how he can tell DeBrusk's game is in a good place. "It's all there for him, ability to see the ice, foot speed to beat guys. When he's on pucks forechecking, he's very dangerous…200-foot game, if he can consistently be strong on pucks on the walls, that's an area most wingers - all guys go through it, young guys - that takes almost years [to master]."

On DeBrusk's second goal of the night, he did all of what Cassidy described. After a strong forecheck helped wreak some havoc in the Los Angeles zone, he circled back into the slot where he was in perfect position to pick off a cross-ice breakout attempt by Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson. DeBrusk took a couple of strides and then fired a wrister off the glove of Quick to give Boston a 2-0 lead with 6:23 left in the first period.
"That's the details of the game. I think that's something that every player will say…that tracking back through the middle," DeBrusk said while describing his second of the night. "I don't necessarily think that's what that defenseman wanted to do but you do that in the hopes - you play 82 and you might get one of those and then it's about finishing.
"I think that just goes with the game itself. Usually that's when I get the most chances when I'm playing well away from the puck and that was kind of a funny shift. I did feel like I kind of went around the world there and then it found me in the slot. Was good timing."
On his other two tallies, DeBrusk was certainly the beneficiary of some of that elusive puck luck - the first coming on a wrister that sneaked through Quick just 1:01 into the game to put Boston ahead, 1-0, and the third a tip of Bergeron's shot to give the B's a 3-0 advantage only 53 seconds into the second - though right now, he's creating his own fortune.
"It's one of those things where it's just the game of hockey and you need bounces, whether it's passes or goals or whatever to find it," said DeBrusk. "But an inch here, an inch there and it's not in the net or it's in the net. It kind of makes you giggle but it's a very rewarding feeling. It's one of those things where I personally had to wait for probably around three years to feel this kind of trend."

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