The Boston Bruins are in the midst of an impressive season, but we haven’t seen the best of them yet — at least according to Jake Debrusk.
“I don’t think we’ve peaked this year,” Debrusk said Monday, per the Bruins. “We had a really good start obviously and we’ve kind of stayed more consistent I think than anything else and kind of found ways to win games, but I don’t think we’ve peaked by any means.”
Boston currently leads the NHL with 98 points with a 43-14-12 record.
The Bruins jumped out to an 11-1-2 start in the fall, which was motivated in part by coming up short in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues. And while that loss has continued to fuel players, the team also has tried to focus on the present season, rather than getting caught up in the past.
“I think, obviously, it’s something that you want to have as a motivational tool, but you don’t really want to doubt yourself in any way. We were one game away last year and obviously we want to come back and finish the job as every team does in this league,” Debrusk said. “But personally, it’s just a matter of trying to build your game and peak at the right time.”
? @JDebrusk on his team’s performance heading into final regular season stretch: “I don’t think we’ve peaked this year… we had a really good start obviously and we’ve kind of stayed more consistent more than anything else, kind of found ways to win games.” pic.twitter.com/XaBBs2TEiZ
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 9, 2020
While Debrusk believes the Bruins have not peaked yet, the team certainly is getting close.
Boston has had a number of players step up of late, like Charlie McAvoy’s huge game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Patrice Bergeron notching his sixth 30-goal season of his career. The team has gone 14-4-0 since the All-Star Game and has just 13 games left to play in the regular season.
Though, a key part to the Bruins’ success also will depend on the team staying healthy. Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo both will be out with upper-body injuries for Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. And, of course, Boston is taking precautionary measures amid growing concerns about the coronavirus, and even has tossed around the possibility of playing games in empty arenas — something Bergeron feels would leave “a big void” without the fans.
The Bruins will take on the Flyers on the road Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on NESN.
