Streaks for B’s, DeBrusk are no coincidence

BOSTON — Hot? Not according to Jake DeBrusk’s thermostat.

The Bruins’ third-year forward, whose career has been marked by streaks ranging from tropical to polar, has scored points in consecutive games on just four occasions so far this season, and only twice did those back-to-back points come on goals. To DeBrusk, those don’t qualify.

“On my hot streaks, ... I usually score in around four in a row, five in a row,” he said. “I’ve only had a couple of two-gamers, so I actually don’t feel like I’ve gotten hot yet.

“But I do feel like things are turning.”

They should. DeBrusk, who seemed to be recovering from a slow start to the season when he had to miss five games from Nov. 8 to 16 with an upper-body injury, has scored six points over the last five games as he and the B’s try to extend a string of team streaks on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. against the Hurricanes at TD Garden. The Bruins have won seven straight games (a streak that coincides with DeBrusk’s return from injury), are on an 8-0-3 points run and remain the only NHL team without a home loss in regulation, at 11-0-4.

DeBrusk’s mini-run doesn’t approach his team’s torrid pace, but it’s noteworthy for its consistency during a period of lineup inconsistency. Stapled to center David Krejci’s left wing for the vast majority of his career, DeBrusk has largely lost Krejci to first-line wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak as No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron has battled a lower-body issue that has cost him four straight games and six of the last eight.

DeBrusk has found ways to contribute while skating with other players. In Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Canadiens, he scored on a give-and-go with Charlie Coyle — a relatively frequent line-mate this season, when Krejci has been on the top line, or out of the lineup for six games in October.

One game earlier, DeBrusk had an assist on a Pastrnak goal against the Rangers (he was subbing for Marchand, who was in concussion protocol) and a helper while playing on a quickly assembled line with Sean Kuraly and rookie Jack Studnicka.

“It’s always nice to get some looks and produce, bury a couple here and there,” said DeBrusk, whose 3-3—6 totals over the last five games match his production in the 15 games before he got hurt. “That’s what I’ve wanted to do. Obviously, it’s talked about, so it’s kind of nice to be on the other side of that.”

DeBrusk’s droughts become a topic of conversation because he’s a proven scorer. He netted 16 goals and 43 points as a rookie in 2017-18, a campaign followed by an impressive 6-2—8 line over his first 12 NHL playoff games. He jumped to 27 goals last season.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy is happy that DeBrusk’s production has picked up, because the B’s need secondary scoring behind the line of Pastrnak (league-leading 25 goals), Brad Marchand (43 points, third in the NHL) and, when he’s back, Bergeron (8-16—24 in 21 games) The DeBrusk-Krejci combination is the team’s most likely second source, but it tails off when DeBrusk is in a rut.

“Jake’s a little bit of that guy where, when things go well, it seems to pull him along,” Cassidy said. “When things don’t, we’ve got to help him out of that.

“He’s his own worst enemy sometimes. He’s hard on himself. We’re trying to get him a little more even-keeled that way.”

DeBrusk has turned a corner by relying as much on grit and determination as on his deft scoring touch near the net.

“I think his second effort on the puck is the reason,” Cassidy said. “That’s the area of the game where we’ve really encouraged him — second effort on pucks, forecheck, neutral zone, whatever. That’s an area where we’d like to see him stay consistent, because he can disrupt [opponents] with his foot speed and his stick, and he’s got good hockey IQ.”

DeBrusk is happy to see extra effort turn into points, but he would change one thing.

“When you work for those plays, it feels that much better,” he said. “Hopefully, I can do more of that ae although maybe if I made the right play on the first effort, that’d be nice.”

Around the boards

Forward Brendan Gaunce, who played only one of a possible four games after the Bruins recalled him last week from AHL Providence, was returned to the P-Bruins. ... Defenseman John Moore, whose surgically repaired shoulder is fit for game play, was added to the Bruins’ roster after a one-game conditioning assignment with Providence on Sunday at Charlotte, N.C.