Decision time for Bruins on Poitras
The witching hour has arrived for Matt Poitras.
The Bruins’ rookie center with the tantalizing array of moves and high hockey IQ is poised to play in his ninth game Monday night against the Panthers at TD Garden. That’s the final preview for Poitras as the Boston brass will then have to make a decision: Should he stay or should he go.
Staying means he wears the varsity black and gold. Going means a temporary ticket back to Guelph, Ontario, where he’d suit up for the OHL’s Storm for the rest of the season. As a 19-year-old, Poitras isn’t eligible to play in AHL Providence this season.
While no official decision has been announced, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery hasn’t been shy about how he feels about Poitras.
“We got a hockey player on our hands,” the coach said after Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
It’s easy to see why Montgomery is a fan.
Poitras is a slick skater and creative centerman who dashes through the slot, digs in the dirty areas, and never gives up on a play. Perhaps most important, he’s shown resiliency.
Veterans will test the mettle of a youngblood (an extra shove here, a stick to the ribs there) all in an attempt to see how he will react. In Chicago, rugged Seth Jones delivered a punishing hit. Thursday against the Ducks, Jackson LaCombe was whistled for cross-checking when he smashed Poitras into the boards facefirst. Against Detroit Saturday, Michael Rasmussen was sent to the box for boarding Poitras.
In all three instances, two things happened: Poitras stood right back up and his teammates stood up for him.
“He’s answered every challenge,” said Montgomery. “So, so far he’s a hockey player. I think he naturally competes, and I think anyone that is a natural competitor is going to find a way and he seems to find a way.”
Through eight games, Poitras has three goals and 5 points while playing with myriad combinations. More telling is his plus-5.
“I really like the way he responds every time he gets tested,” said Montgomery, who has plopped Poitras into high-pressure situations. “There was a shift where his line was out there for a long time, hemmed in our end, and I thought, ‘Oh boy, he’s bent over.’ You could tell he was exhausted. The legs were straight-legged and then somehow, he finds the juice to actually create the turnover and get the puck out of his zone.
“So again, I mean his will — we see the skill, we see the smarts — but I think his will is very underrated.”
It’s not just Montgomery who has been impressed with the way Poitras has carried himself. He’s made his teammates drop their jaws a few times, too.
Charlie McAvoy said Poitras’s confidence with the puck is something that has really stood out.
“We’ve played a lot of teams here to start that play a man-on-man style. So [Saturday] you saw him tons of times, just feel really confident with the puck, wherever he is in the offensive zone that he’s going to carry it, he’s going to hold it, protect it, and wait until he sees a good play, and that’s super impressive,” said McAvoy.
“And he did it [Saturday] a couple times. He did it last game on the fouron-four where he dragged two guys to him and then made a play on [Matt Grzelcyk’s] goal. So, he has loads of confidence, and in here we’re trying to certainly support him and make sure that that stays high.”
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The Bruins will host the Panthers Monday night, the club that unceremoniously bounced them from the playoffs last season. It’s the second of four straight Atlantic Division opponents for the Bruins, with the Maple Leafs in town Thursday and a reunion with the Red Wings on Saturday in Detroit. “Every team in this league is a serious opponent,” said goalie Jeremy Swayman, “but again, those division points are huge for us, and we know that these points matter early on in the season and [are] big momentum pieces for us to build off of and grow from.” . . . If form holds, expect Linus Ullmark to get the nod in net against Florida . . . The Bruins were off ice Sunday.