How Jake DeBrusk felt about scoring game-winner vs. Cassidy, Vegas

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The Boston Bruins earned some fitting retribution Sunday night in Las Vegas.

After the Golden Knights beat the Bruins 4-3 last Monday in Bruce Cassidy's first game against Boston since the team fired him this offseason, the B's returned the favor Sunday with a 3-1 win on Vegas' home ice.

Jake DeBrusk potted the game-clinching goal, burying an excellent feed from Pavel Zacha early in the third period to break a 1-1 tie.

DeBrusk and Cassidy didn't always see eye-to-eye in Boston; the winger requested a trade from the team in November 2021 after Cassidy scratched him from the starting lineup, and the head coach admitted the young winger had some issues with Cassidy's "tough love" approach.

So, scoring the game-winner against the coach who was critical of your game had to be extra sweet, right?

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"A lot," DeBrusk admitted to NESN's Sophia Jurksztowicz when asked how much that goal meant to him. "It's one of those things that -- just pure emotion, and yeah, felt really good. That was awesome."

DeBrusk didn't explicitly attribute his excitement to the circumstances, but the grin on his face told the story.

DeBrusk is one of many players who are thriving under new head coach Jim Montgomery this season. The 26-year-old already has 20 points (nine goals and 11 assists) through 26 games and appears on pace to surpass his career highs in both goals (27) and assists (27) for the NHL-leading Bruins.

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