Punching in for respect
DeBrusk grows in eyes of teammates with fight
It was impossible not to notice rookie New York Islanders winger Mathew Barzal last night at the Garden, where the dynamic, 20-year-old waterbug, whom the Bruins opted not to select in the 2015 NHL draft, was probably the best player on the ice.
But a youngster whom the Bruins did
select instead was also mighty hard to overlook.
That would be Jake DeBrusk, the 14th overall pick of that draft, when Barzal went No.16 overall. DeBrusk merely won team-wide acclaim for stepping up in defense of a teammate and also netted the eventual game-winning goal in the Bruins’ immensely entertaining 3-1 victory over the speedy and talented Islanders.
“I think it was written that a certain player was drafted ahead of him,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy after his team’s win. “So, I think he maybe took it upon himself to show that he’s here for a reason, (that) he’s a good player in his own right. He was pretty excited about it. Good for him. We like that excitement from him.”
Many draft experts questioned one or more of the Bruins’ picks, insisting they left a superior talent on the board in Barzal of the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds.
But the 21-year-old DeBrusk made a good case for himself last night.
At 4:03 of the second period, pesky Islanders center Casey Cizikas plowed the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy hard into the sideboards and the rookie defenseman stayed down, apparently shaken up. Enter DeBrusk, who confronted Cizikas. The Islander dropped the gloves and started throwing punches. DeBrusk returned the fire, hung on and came out of his first NHL fight unscathed — but with plenty of new respect from his teammates.
“I think it was a clean hit,” said DeBrusk. “It was just a really hard one and I didn’t like it. I verbally asked him if he wanted to go and he said ‘yes’ and dropped the gloves. So that’s how it happened. It was just one of those things you can’t control.”
Cassidy had no problem with DeBrusk’s actions.
“I think it’s good for his teammates to know he’s going to get in there whether people think it’s right or wrong,” said Cassidy. “I didn’t see the hit. Things happen quickly. He’s in there looking after one of his teammates. Guys appreciate that.
“In the playoffs, the discipline level goes up a lot, and obviously in the regular season you need your discipline. But at that time and juncture in the game, I think everyone is fine with it and it will help him in the room.”
Along with the fighting major, oddly, DeBrusk was hit with an instigator minor and 10-minute misconduct. With 17 minutes to serve, he went to the room and watched the rest of the period on TV.
“I honestly didn’t try to get an instigator or anything,” he said. “I watched the period in here. (I was) kind of out of sorts and just wanted to get back in action.”
And when his next turn on the ice came, 6:45 into Period 3, he was ready — as he whipped a turnaround forehander from between the hashmarks past goalie Jaroslav Halak to give the B’s a 2-0 lead.
“I just wanted to get the puck on net,” said DeBrusk. “I was kind of trying, honestly, to maybe generate a rebound. It was kind of a weird play. I didn’t really know where the puck was. (I) kind of had an idea, but I just turned and shot as hard as I could and it went in. It was nice to see that. Obviously, missing a whole period and then coming back, it was huge.”
There’s no denying that the Islanders got a good one in Barzal.
“He’s really shifty,” said Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. “He’s got great speed, but also his lateral movement is pretty off the charts. He can move side-to-side in a split second and it’s hard for us to read him. That’s how he creates his space. He was really dynamic (last night).”
But DeBrusk is also settling in nicely as a solid Bruins-style winger. He was asked how his dad, ex-NHL tough guy Louis, will feel about his first fight.
“I don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll find out. I think he’s going to say, ‘Good job, way to protect yourself.’ I don’t think he’ll cry, but I think he’ll be happy with this one.”