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Boston Bruins: 3 keys to success for left wing Jake DeBrusk in 2020-21

By Matt Hawkins

SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 1: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 1, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 1: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 1, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Boston Bruins, Jake DeBrusk #74 (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Boston Bruins, Jake DeBrusk #74 (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. Jake DeBrusk has to be better at driving the play to be successful with the Boston Bruins in 2020-21.

There’s no question that DeBrusk has the talent to be a top-six forward, however, he needs to use his talent to drive the play and create scoring chances for his teammates.

After having a Corsi-for percentage (CF%) of 54.3 and 55.9 in his first two seasons, DeBrusk’s CF% dropped to just 51.7. Additionally, his Fenwick-for percentage (FF%) went from 54.0 and 56.3 to just 50.3 this season. DeBrusk’s FF% of 50.3 was actually 0.3 worse than the Bruins’ average.

These stats mean that DeBrusk wasn’t controlling play as well as he was the previous two seasons. This often leads to goals against and the inability to score.

Furthermore, DeBrusk’s expected goals for (xGF) dropped significantly from 39.9 and 38.8 in his first two seasons to just 34.3 this season. This is a clear result of his decreased ability to control and drive the play.

So, if DeBrusk wants to have a successful 2020-21 season he needs to better utilize his speed and skill to control and drive the play. This will lead to more scoring opportunities for and less against, resulting in more goals for and less against.

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