Brazeau’s breakout was a rush
SUNriSE, fla. — All Justin brazeau needed was a chance.
And an opportunity presented itself as he gathered the puck near center ice at Amerant bank Arena monday night. with only florida goalie Sergei bobrovsky in front of him, the 26-year-old bruins forward switched on the afterburners.
Using his 6-foot-5-inch, 220pound frame to shield the puck from defenseman Aaron Ekblad, brazeau outmuscled the blue liner to the outside as he glided toward the crease. bobrovsky’s slide to his right was in vain, as brazeau’s dekes ended with a puck lifted over the goal line — and a first career playoff goal on his résumé, which expanded the bruins’ lead to 4-1.
“he’s unbelievably skilled,” said fellow rookie — and Game 1 goal scorer — mason Lohrei after the bruins’ 5-1 win to open this second-round series. “Such a great finisher in tight, which is kind of deceiving for a big guy. but he’s got that goal-scorer’s touch and it’s pretty cool to see him go forehand-backhand there.”
brazeau’s opportunistic strike was emblematic of his first NhL season, with the undrafted forward and former junior-league standout finally granted a chance to prove he belongs at hockey’s highest level.
And the bruins are reaping the rewards from buying into the big body from New Liskeard, ontario.
“i always had the belief that i could be here and do this type of stuff,” brazeau said. “So i wouldn’t say i had no belief in it. but obviously it was a bit of a far-fetched [idea] coming into the year, just on an AhL deal. So i’m obviously extremely happy to be here.”
brazeau’s road to boston was anything but linear. Despite recording 113 points over 68 games in his final season of junior hockey with the North bay battalion in 2018-19, brazeau was able to parlay that only into an AhL deal with the maple Leafs organization.
Unable to establish himself in toronto’s prospect pipeline, brazeau signed with the bruins organization in 2021-22. he spent time with the maine mariners before logging 167 total games with Providence.
his blend of size and finishing talent made him a prospect worth reeling in.
After being one of the bruins’ top surprises in the regular season (five goals, two assists over 19 games), brazeau was reinserted into the lineup in Game 5 vs. toronto — his first taste of action since suffering an upperbody injury in Nashville April 2.
his reentry was “rusty,” according to coach Jim montgomery.
brazeau then logged 9:36 of ice time in the Game 6 loss to the Leafs.
but everything fell back into place during Game 7 Saturday. Slotted next to trent frederic and James van riemsdyk on the third line, brazeau led all bruins players in shot attempts (10) and scoring chances (six). he recorded the secondary assist on hampus Lindholm’s tying goal in the third period, the byproduct of a puck-possession clinic.
the momentum carried over into monday’s series opener against florida, with brazeau’s burst of acceleration proof of the strides he has made since joining the bruins.
“that’s been something my entire career, i think — i’ve always been told that i’m not a good enough skater,” brazeau acknowledged. “So it’s something i’ve always worked on. i still work on to this day. So it was obviously nice to get that.”
brazeau and his new linemates’ impact went well beyond his highlight-reel tally. in the 21:43 of five-on-five ice time that the line has logged together during the postseason, the bruins have outscored opponents, 2-0, and held a 9-0 edge in highdanger scoring chances.
“i think we can be really good,” brazeau said. “i think we play a similar type of game. we try to keep it simple. i don’t think we try to overcomplicate anything.
“i think we’re just focusing on doing a good job on the forecheck and really supporting each other. So when we create a stalled puck, we get it back. So i think that plays to our strengths and it’s been good so far.”
if the bruins are to extend their season into June, they’re going to need their forwards to generate looks from Grade A ice. having a player with brazeau’s size certainly helps, as a netfront monolith and a puck vacuum along the endboards.
but montgomery believes there’s far more to brazeau’s game than size. it’s a belief validated by monday’s skilled finish against bobrovsky.
“the plays we’re seeing in Game 7 he made and tonight — we were seeing that in the regular season,” montgomery said. “And that’s why i put him in Game 5, because he needed to get into a rhythm, and we kept playing him because we believe he’s an excellent hockey player that can really help you — offensively and defensively.
“what you’re noticing there is something that we think is part of him.”