The Bruins are counting on Brazeau’s work in goal to give their offense a boost.

Bruins

“I never try to be something I’m not.”

Justin Brazeau doesn’t have the same 0-60 acceleration as teammate Johnny Beecher.

He doesn’t have the brilliant one-timer hidden in David Pastrnak’s arsenal, and he doesn’t have the hands to power past skaters to the same degree as his captain, Brad Marchand.

But the 26-year-old striker is unfazed by the perceived restrictions.

Even with just 26 NHL games under his belt, Brazeau knows what kind of player he is.

Or, more importantly, he knows what he needs to do to succeed at the highest level of hockey.

And for the 6ft 5in striker, it’s all about positioning himself around the goal.

“Just knowing who you are, what you do (well), what you do well on the ice — I never try to be something that I’m not,” Brazeau said Monday about his approach to the game on the ice. “I mean, I always just go out on the field knowing exactly what I need to do to help the team. So I just need to focus on that.”

Brazeau’s offensive skill set may not be stellar, but the Ontario product has the toolset to do a lot of damage on Class A ice. While his 220-pound frame already makes him a pain in the crease, his stickhandling is. tight spaces and long range make him the human Dyson for moving pucks through high-risk areas.

On a Bruins team that currently ranks 29th in 5-on-5 scoring chances per 60 minutes (8.86), Brazeau has been a welcome sight in goal.

The big forward is tied for second on the team in individual scoring chances at 5-on-5 with six, with four of those goals coming in his last two games against the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.

That was the answer Jim Montgomery was hoping for after defeating Brazeau (one point in five games) on Oct. 22 against the Predators.

“I thought his stick was really good offensively, but even more so defensively — causing turnovers in the D-zone, causing turnovers on the forecheck,” Montgomery said Monday. “And then move on to the areas where he’s had success… He knows who he is and plays like he is.”

After watching a 4-0 loss to Nashville from above the ice, Brazeau responded with tallies in both games against the Stars and Maple Leafs on Thursday and Saturday.

Unsurprisingly, both goals were a direct result of Brazeau either clearing the puck from the goal line or waiting near the bottom slot for an inevitable rebound.

“He’s so big in goal and skilled in the corners,” Marchand said of Brazeau on Saturday. When he gets there, he will be dangerous and he will be productive. So in the sense that he has that confidence now, it’s great. … When you get a date, that’s what happens: your confidence grows and gets stronger, and so it’s nice to see that on his part. I’m sure he will only get better.”

Given Boston’s lack of quality scoring chances (and pucks just getting knocked down) at 5-on-5, Montgomery is hoping a top-six move for Brazeau will boost the Bruins forward.

Brazeau skated on Boston’s second line with Marchand and Charlie Coyle during Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, his goaltending skills looking to elevate a duo that has scored zero goals and just one point on 5 games this season. by 5.

Accordingly, Brazeau isn’t worried about beefing up his approach if he skates with Coyle and Marchand for Tuesday’s home game against the Flyers. Chances are his linemates will know where to find him in the offensive zone.

“I don’t think anything has to change,” Brazeau said of his change in top-six play. “I just need to do what I do best: make room for these guys, try to forecheck hard to help them get pucks back, be in front of the net so when they make plays and things like that, I’m here for the second opportunity. So I don’t think I need to change anything.”

The Bruins make the rounds during their annual Halloween visit.

As is tradition, the Bruins took part in the annual Halloween hospital visit to Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital on Monday afternoon.

After going with a trendy cinematic theme last fall by dressing up as various Barbie and Ken dolls, the Bruins decided to return to the costumes from Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.”

Marchand does justice to the role of the witty Mike Wazowski, and Trent Frederick steals the show as the film’s husky-voiced secretary, Roz.

Over the years, the Bruins have used several themes for their annual Halloween visits. In addition to “Barbie” in 2023, other motifs included Nintendo characters in 2022 and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 2021.

The wait for Johnson continues

Veteran forward Tyler Johnson practiced with Boston’s core group again on Monday, but there is still no word on a contract for the 5-foot-8 skater. With Riley Taft assigned to Providence on Sunday, Boston has a projected cap hit of $1,108,460, according to PuckPedia.

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Montgomery didn’t mince words Monday when asked what Morgan Geekie (one assist in eight games) needs to do to get back to his standard size in 2023-24. “Play better,” Boston’s head coach said.

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In terms of team-wide improvements, Montgomery wants the Bruins to continue putting opposing players under pressure, as they did in Saturday’s overtime win over Toronto. “Our puck pressure last game was better than it’s ever been, but it’s still not what it should be,” Montgomery said. “I wouldn’t even come close to describing our team as ruthless, and that’s where we want to go.”

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Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a position he has held since 2023.

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