Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk did not play in Saturday night's 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, after he was late to a meeting.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery made the announcement after morning skate, adding that veteran forward Patrick Brown, 31, would replace him. Brown was a minus-1 with one shot and four hits in the win.

DeBrusk, 27, had 27 goals and 50 points last season as Boston secured the No. 1 seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season has been a different story. He has yet to post a goal or an assist.

That said, the Bruins, who now own a 4-0 record, are the only unbeaten team left in the Eastern Conference.

"We're taking steps in the right direction," Montgomery said. "There's a lot of things that we're starting to build, but the consistency of how fast we want to play, it's just not uniformed yet."