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Heading into the regular season, I remember Jake DeBrusk was underrated by Bruins fans. Many didn’t know what the kid could bring to the table and were pretty skeptical of him in the beginning. Since then, that skepticism subsided and DeBrusk became a fan-favorite throughout the entire season.
DeBrusk got his first taste of the playoffs in round one and he did not disappoint. The 21-year-old racked up 7 points (5 G, 2 A) in the first 7 games of the playoffs. 2 of those were power play goals and four of those 7 points came on the power play.
DeBrusk is a machine. He’s fast, agile, strong on the puck, and has a tremendous shot. He put all of those on display in the first round. This kid is something special. When he has the puck, you can barely get it away from him. When he doesn't have the puck, he’s viciously hunting it. He always wants the puck, he always wants to give Boston the best opportunity to win.
DeBrusk was Boston’s Game 7 hero. He scored the game-winning goal in game 7 and even added an extra goal because why not? He’s proven he can handle the big time and Boston fans should be praising him.
Just take a moment to praise the hustle on this goal. He wanted it all, he saw the opportunity and ran with it. Well... skated with it but you get the point. He took advantage of Gardiner being out of position. Gardiner took the body instead of the puck and DeBrusk made him pay. In 6 of the 7 games, he recorded at least a point. He leads all rookies in scoring thus far in the postseason with his 7 points, that's 3 more points than anyone behind him. He also leads rookies in goals with five.
This kid isn’t even playing like a rookie right now. He's playing like a vet, and that’s what you want to see from a kid trying to help his team win a Stanley Cup. DeBrusk is a star among stars, he’s Boston’s hero and he’s here to stay. In the second round, we can only hope he’s just as effective as he was in the first series. He could once again be Boston’s hero in the second round as well, only time will tell.