TORONTO — When Jake DeBrusk saw Brad Marchand come out of a wall battle on the right wing boards with the puck early in the third period, he darted from the right-wing corner toward the front of the net.

The Bruins forward was looking either for a tip-in or a rebound, but his speed nearly worked against him. DeBrusk overskated Marchand’s rebound that caromed off of Ilya Samsonov’s left pad. But DeBrusk alertly pulled the puck with his right skate into his stick, then flipped it over Samsonov’s lunging right leg into the wide side of the net.

“When he’s engaged, with his talent level, he comes up with pucks,” Bruins Coach Jim Montgomery said. “That’s not an easy goal to get, corral and bury it.”

DeBrusk downplayed the degree of difficulty.

“As a net-front guy, I just try to find spots to be open,” he said, shrugging a little.

The goal, which came on the power play 1:07 into the third period of Game 3, gave the Bruins their first lead and momentum that they rode to a 4-2 victory Wednesday for a 2-1 lead in the series.

“He’s someone who elevates in these times,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “He gets up for the biggest moments. He’s making the most of it.”

The often streaky DeBrusk has picked a good time to get hot as he tries to put a frustrating regular season in the rearview mirror, with free agency looming this offseason. After back-to-back 25-goal seasons, he had one goal in his first 16 games and one in his last 11, and finished with only 19.

But as has been the case throughout the 27-year-old’s career, DeBrusk has found something extra in the playoffs. In 76 playoff games, he has 25 goals. In three games this year, DeBrusk has a team-high three goals – all on the power play – and two assists.

Fifteen of his 19 regular-season goals came in victories, and all three of his playoff goals have, too. He’s a big reason why the Bruins have the series lead heading into  Game 4 on Saturday night.

“In big games, his game picks up, too. He’s done it time and time again. He’s been so crucial for us,” Charlie Coyle said. “When he’s going, usually our team is going. We need that from him.”

DeBrusk wasn’t sure exactly why his play usually improves in the postseason, but he suspected it was the simplification of his focus.

“You don’t get a chance to think about other things. You’re playing pretty much every second day, and in environments where it’s loud and intense,” he said. “And it’s for keeps. It’s pretty easy to get focused. I’ve always been like that, ever since juniors, I guess. It’s the NHL playoffs, it’s what you dream of as a kid.”

TRENT FREDERIC scored the biggest goal of his career when the tied Game 3 at 1-1 late in the second period, but he didn’t get a lot of immediate love for it. Like most of the people in the rink, his teammates seemed to be caught up in the ongoing beef between Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi.

“It was really weird. I was trying to tell the guys that we scored because I don’t think anyone really knew. It was kind of a weird play, but I’m glad it all kind of unraveled like that,” said Frederic with a smile. “Normally you get a reaction from your teammates and the crowd a little, and I don’t think anyone was watching. It was kind of funny.”

It’s not the first time Frederic scored a goal that was met with silence.

“My first NHL goal was in Lake Tahoe (during the pandemic) and we didn’t have fans, so it was kind of similar to that. I was like ‘That went in, but nobody’s really reacting.’”

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