Despite his leaving Boston Bruins today dissapointment will be on Jim Montgomery….
One Boston Bruins player who has always looked forward to facing the Toronto Maple Leafs is Jake DeBrusk. He especially enjoys doing so during the Stanley Cup playoffs. In his three postseason games versus Toronto so far, the Bruins winger has three goals and five points; four of those points have come on the power play while playing as a unit alongside Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Morgan Geekie, among others.
DeBrusk’s explosive surge has put him in the top five in the Stanley Cup playoff field in terms of goals and points. During his NHL career, he has played 17 playoff games against Toronto and has totaled nine goals and 14 points. Marchand and the Leafs have tied with nine playoff goals each.
After Johnny Bucyk (10) and Phil Esposito (11), two Bruins luminaries inducted into the Hall of Fame, David Krejci has the third-most in team history.
Given that DeBrusk only managed 19 goals and 40 points in 80 games throughout the regular season, that is some pretty elite Black and Gold company. DeBrusk’s experience hasn’t been entirely favorable either; in the three games he’s played against Toronto so far, he’s only had seven shots on goal and is minus-2 overall in the series.
At this stage in the series, though, he’s back in his natural position on the left wing, where he can use his speed and talent to create some 5-on-5 offense alongside Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak in a premium offensive role.
“I’m not sure…We’ve now played against these guys three times, which is how I feel about it.
playoff series,” DeBrusk remarked. “Some major fights have taken place in them. Since their team’s composition is different from even [2019], which seems like a long time ago, I wouldn’t say anything is constant because there are different players and different things. No matter what, that makes you think of specific things when you play them in the playoffs.
“I was confident against them in my first playoff series, but as I mentioned earlier, there are other weapons and different things. I don’t give it much thought. But I’ll make every effort to maintain it.
In the postseason, DeBrusk has also shared some memorable moments with the Maple Leafs. In 2019, for example, his run-in with Nazem Kadri earned the Leafs forward a suspension that contributed to the playoff series’ altered outcome.
