DeBrusk steps up to coach’s challenge

PHILADELPHIA — With one goal over the past five games, Jake DeBrusk is in a minor rut.

There’s plenty of other issues to pick apart in the Bruins lineup, but on Monday night, it was DeBrusk’s turn.

“I don’t think he was — the standard we expect out of him I don’t think has been there enough lately, period,” coach Bruce Cassidy said at the time. “He’s been told that. We want him to play his way out of it. I thought in the third period there were some positives, so hopefully that gets him going into the next game.”

With 18:05 played, DeBrusk saw the ice more than he had since Dec. 1, but on Saturday the 12:06 he played in Toronto was his lowest all season.

Yo-yoing between the second and third lines the past two contests, DeBrusk has taken the hint, even before Cassidy was far more blunt about it.

“I think he’s right, I hold myself to that standard as well,” he said. “You don’t like to talk about what he said, but in a sense it’s just a matter of playing my game, helping this team out as much as I can. I see it, I have high expectations as well. I think it’s a good thing if your coach has high expectations to call you out like that, it means he knows you’re better.”

Those expectations include for DeBrusk to be an offensive force for a team that’s struggled to produce secondary scoring. He’s had his spurts, with four multigoal games, in a season where he’s missed time, like seemingly everyone in the lineup.

Now fully healthy, there’s not much excuse not to execute, and it’s something DeBrusk understands fully.

“I agree with him, it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it,” said DeBrusk. “I didn’t mind how I ended last game, that’s more my style. I just have to do it consistently.”

Backes scratched

With Peter Cehlarik’s recall prior to last night’s game, David Backes found himself scratched for the first time in 12 years.

While there’s a good shot he’s back in the lineup tonight against his old team, St. Louis, he’s taking the whole thing in stride and as an opportunity to get better.

“You have a couple of options in how you react, cry and moan and go into a shell, or work your butt off and find your spot back in the lineup,” he said. “The latter obviously has a lot more appealing outcomes.”

Backes had scored a single tally with five assists over his past 15 games.

McAvoy feels good

It’s been a roller coaster of late for Charlie McAvoy. With a heart ailment less than a year ago, a concussion, and then an infection this season, he’s battled to get back into the lineup.

Three games in from the latest issue, he doesn’t feel any limitations.

“The first couple games you kind of run on energy and emotion because you’re so excited to be back, then after that it’s getting into a rhythm,” he said. “You start to feel normal. It’s been a very weird year for me. Putting together a string of games here, or a string of games there, for me I’m not trying to look any further than the one right in front of me, but at the same time it will feel really good to put together doubledigit games.”

With 19 games played this season, McAvoy has put together stretches of seven, 10, and now three games. While at times there’s that lingering doubt after “not feeling right” and concern about it happening all over again, McAvoy feels 100 percent and is just hoping to stay on the ice.

“Whenever you have some sort of injury scare it takes some space in your head,” he said. “You go around the room, everyone has some sort of ailment. If you don’t you’re either very lucky or not battling very hard. We have a lot of guys battling. It’s really just a matter of trying to play through all these things.”