Bruins notebook: Jake DeBrusk enters protocol

Many of the Bruin’s big names have gone though COVID protocol, but they are not over the hump just yet.

The club announced on Tuesday morning that left wing Jake DeBrusk and three staffers had entered protocol. One of those staffers is assistant coach Kevin Dean, who runs the B’s defense. That responsibility was going to fellow assistant Joe Sacco for Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils at the Garden.

DeBrusk is the 13th Bruin player to go into protocol. The only other player currently in it is Karson Kuhlman, who tested positive last Saturday. It is DeBrusk’s second time in protocol, having gone through it last season. Coach Bruce Cassidy said that DeBrusk did not have any symptoms of which he knew.

“Hopefully it’s a quick one like some of the others,” said Cassidy.

For DeBrusk, the timing is not great. Playing on a third line with Charlie Coyle and Nick Foligno, he played well in the B’s two-win weekend against Buffalo and Detroit. His off-wing rush was the catalyst for Foligno’s first goal as a Bruin as well the comeback win over the Sabres and it was reminiscent of the what he’d shown in his first two years with the B’s. A little more of that kind of play just may have gotten him the trade he had requested.

But one man’s disappointment is another man’s opportunity, and the latter fell to Oskar Steen. The 2016 sixth rounder has three helpers in four games with Boston this year and looked especially comfortable in the B’s 5-1 victory over the Red Wings on Sunday, when he had a couple quality scoring chances before finally setting up Tomas Nosek on his goal.

With DeBrusk out, the right-shot Steen bumped up to the third line with center Coyle and  Foligno, who moved over to his natural left side.

Cassidy said that even before DeBrusk had tested positive the decision had been made to keep Steen in the lineup.

“He’s been good. It’s been a bit of a numbers game in the past in managing the roster, but now that there’s a few openings with COVID, it allows him stay in there. And we discussed it anyway after the game. We thought he did a real good job the other night. It’s a decision we’ll have to make,” said Cassidy. “If you can push from underneath, it always creates competition and makes your team better. Oskar’s been able to do that every time he’s been here. He’s come back and gotten a little more confidence each time. Every game he seems to have a look around the front of the net, the dirty areas….We’ll see how he does on the third line. I don’t think it matters for him a lot. He’s at that age, he’s just excited to play and contribute no matter who he plays with. It’s a positive. We want to draft and develop and put some younger people in the lineup and pushing other guys and hopefully that’s the case and it’s a consistent thing for Oskar.”

Steen, the leading scorers in Providence (10-10-20 in 16 games), said he’s feeling more confident in his call-ups this year and was excited to jump a rung in the lineup. Though he’s gotten primarily bottom six time in his recalls, Steen is not pigeon-holing himself.

“I think I can play top six. Nearly my whole life I’ve been an offensive player. I just need to score more, get more points and then probably move up in the lineup. For me, the first step here is to make he lineup, so that’s what I’m aiming for right now,” said Steen.

Rask nears return

Tuukka Rask continued to practice with the team in Tuesday’s morning skate and though Cassidy said it has not yet been agreed upon for Rask to play this weekend down in Providence, that remains a possibility if and when he’s cleared medically for live action.

Rask drew praise from Cassidy for how he’s approached his rehab from hip surgery.

“He looks good. I’ve watched him for years and I’m stating the obvious, but he’s an excellent goaltender. Technically sound, not a lot of wasted movements for Tuukka. It’s been a strength since he came into the league since he was a 20-year-old. I think it’s been well documented, if you go back and look at scouting reports and how people have talked about him. It’s his strength. I remember in Providence when he was a young guy. He’s just in control and that’s been his game since Day One,” said Cassidy. “He certainly looks the part out there right now and he’s coming along very well. You’re never sure with surgery, how it will go with complications, etc. But he’s put the work in, he’s been in the gym every morning here when it’s his scheduled time so clearly he’s taking it seriously and wants to rehab as quickly as possible. So credit him 100 percent for his work ethic through this whole thing. He looks good on the ice, so time will tell how that translates.”

This and that

Curtis Lazar, who was a late scratch from Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury, was set to return to the line as the fourth line right wing with center Nosek and left wing Trent Frederic…

The Devils are without former Bruin Dougie Hamilton, who took a puck to the jaw in the Devils’ 4-3 win over Washington on Sunday.

 

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3eOaHm7