Boston Bruins
Bruins Give Matt Poitras Big Opportunity In Big Moment
BRIGHTON– Matt Poitras has made the most of every opportunity he’s earned with the Boston Bruins, and he’s now receiving his biggest one yet.
With the Bruins struggling to score amidst a three-game losing streak, Poitras will play the right wing on the second line next to team captain Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden.
“He continues to make plays,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday morning at Warrior Ice Arena. “The hope is there’s going to be more offense and more O-zone time.”
A dynamic skater and poised puck mover, Poitras has shone as a playmaker in Boston ever since he made the Bruins roster out of training camp last season as a rookie.
That ability has stood out even more for Poitras thus far in his sophomore campaign, especially while the rest of the Bruins have looked inept at creating scoring opportunities.
Through their first eight contests, the Bruins are averaging 2.88 goals for per game and rank 21st in the league.
Offense has been particularly elusive during their three-game skid, as they’ve been held to just three goals in their last 182:46 of action, which includes a goalless outing on Tuesday in Nashville.
Marchand and Coyle have had the toughest start to the season of any players on the roster. After the captain recorded 29 goals and Coyle set a new career-best with 25 last season, the two have combined to hit the back of the net just once this year.
Read More: Charlie Coyle Says It’s Time For The Bruins To Prove Themselves
As much as Boston hopes Poitras can elevate its offense, it’s hoping the opportunity will elevate him even more as a foundational piece of the organization’s future.
“It’s leadership ability combined with a young talent that’s going to help the whole group be better in all three zones,” said Montgomery. “It’s going to allow him to grow as a young man in the league, playing with two guys who understand how to manage games and how to win the game within the game.”
Part of the next step for Poitras is further developing the defensive aspect of his game. The 20-year-old has never been lauded for his ability in his own zone, and being just 180lbs hasn’t made things any easier.
Playing with veterans in Marchand and Coyle, who the Bruins lean on as much defensively as they do offensively, should, in theory, help the young Poitras refine his skill set.
“[Marchand] is always the first guy I go to when I have a question or stuff isn’t going right,” Poitras said. “He’s always a good guy to talk to, and he’ll talk to you whether you go to him or not.”
For all that Poitras still has to learn, the Bruins see he already understands so much.
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“He’s so smart, and his game is only going to grow,” said Coyle. “As he gets more games and practices under his belt, he will learn the pro game a little more and get more confidence in himself. But you can tell he already has it. We’re excited to play with a guy like that.”
The moment could not be much bigger for Poitras than it is tonight.
Not only will he play on one of Boston’s premiere lines against one of its biggest rivals, but it will be against the very team he grew up cheering for.
Hailing from Ajax, Ontario, situated less than an hour east of downtown Toronto, Poitras will have plenty of friends and family watching him when the puck drops at 7 p.m.
“Everybody that knows him, that’s ever been associated with him since he was seven years old, is going to be watching him tonight,” Montgomery said. “It’s a great opportunity for him.”
Those eyes aren’t the ones the Poitras and the Bruins need to be concerned with.
It’s the ones here in Boston with heavy bags underneath them that have grown tired of waiting for offense.
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