Poitras asked to light it up

Jim Montgomery had an important reminder for Matt Poitras when the two met before Monday morning’s practice.

Hey kid, smile.

“You have a very infectious smile,” the Bruins coach told Poitras. “I said, ‘When you smile, I feel better.’ I said, ‘So, can you imagine your teammates?’ And I go, ‘You’re 19 in the NHL, right? Someone like Brad Marchand’s been in here for 15 years. He might think going to New Jersey is just another game, but you, ‘It’s the first time I’m going to New Jersey.’ I said, ‘That brings the energy that we need.’ ”

It’s been a rough patch for the rookie center, who was a healthy scratch for the first time last week against the Sabres, then found himself tucked away on the bench for the third period as the Bruins worked to protect slim leads against the Coyotes on Saturday.

While the night off was planned, Montgomery’s decision to stick with his veterans during that critical stretch against Arizona came on the fly.

The pre-practice chinwag was to convey to Poitras that the club hasn’t lost confidence in him.

“He’s a 19-year-old kid that’s doing really good things to help the Bruins be 18-5 and there’s going to be struggles,” said Montgomery. “I mean, there’s struggles for everybody. Even [David Pastrnak] has struggles despite the fact that, I don’t know, what is he, third in scoring? So, we tried to impress upon him on how much we believe in him and how much he has to continue to grow, and those two things are intertwined in his career long path of successes as a Bruin.”

Montgomery said Poitras, whom he called “a terrific young man,” was very receptive during the meeting and he noticed a significant difference in his body language from the time he walked in until the time he walked out.

“You want to have an open and honest conversation about why things are transpiring like they do and what he needs to focus on,” Montgomery said. “Give him two things to focus on to really allow him to have success.

And if I go down to the three lines, be part of the three lines.”

Poitras, who has five goals and 12 points in 25 games, including an assist Saturday, expressed confidence in his ability while acknowledging there’s room for improvement.

“I’m a young guy, I’m going to make mistakes, but there’s a few things that I need to clean up,” said Poitras. “One of which is I feel like I need to shorten up shift length, so I’m just able to endure the pace of the game, and shorter shifts are going to help me kind of remain at my peak as much as possible through the game.”

It’s a delicate balance for young players, who may feel they have the stamina to extend a shift but must remember to conserve some of that vitality.

“You think you have juice left, but one shift kind of bleeds into another long shift, and then you kind of don’t have energy for the rest of the game,” Poitras said. “So, for me, it’s just shorten my shift length so I can be productive throughout the game.”

Poitras said he also needs to “simplify” his game during crucial stretches in order to be depended upon for 60 minutes.

“I’ve always been kind of a guy who likes to make plays offensively and maybe take a few risks, but I mean, there’s a time and a place [for that],” he said. “I think, as it gets late into a game and if I want the coaches to trust me and put me out there, I’ve got to be able to simplify my game, put pucks in when it’s needed, and we have a lead late.”

So, the message is simple: shorten shifts, simplify, and, of course, smile.

“Yeah, and have fun,” said a beaming Poitras. “I mean, I’m playing in the NHL, so there’s no bad days here, and I’m having fun and just trying to keep a smile on my face and get some energy in here.”

Zacha, McAvoy progressing

Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy, who are dealing with upper-body injuries, did not practice and are day to day. Montgomery said both are “progressing” and he will have more “definitive” updates Tuesday about whether either will be available to face the Devils in Newark on Wednesday . . . Marchand also didn’t practice, as the captain had a scheduled maintenance day . . . Marchand and McAvoy did have an on-ice workout before the session with assistant coach John McLean . . . Montgomery wasn’t happy with the intensity at the beginning of practice and called his troops together midway through to ask if they thought the practice was up to par. “Pasta said no right away, so I said, “Well, let’s pick it up here in this next drill so that we can accomplish good things and get ready for Wednesday.’ ” The last half of practice was more intense and physical. “Guys dug in and we made each other better, which is part of our culture,” said the coach. “We’re pushing each other to be better. I thought Matt [Grzelcyk ]and[ Hampus] Lindholm, in particular, really raised the level.”