Matt Poitras scored the game-winning goal, all but confirming an extended stay in Boston with some NHL action.
Matt Poitras was a bright spot once again, Charlie Coyle stepped up and AJ Greer put it all on the line for the 13th forward slotting. Other than that, the Boston Bruins’ 3-1 win over the New York Rangers Thursday night signaled only one thing: everyone’s ready for the regular season.
“A lot of individuals had their best games,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “Poitras obviously gets the game-winning goal, continues to have an excellent camp. There’s a lot to like from his game.”
Things got off to a shaky start, though. The first period at Madison Square Garden was, to put it bluntly, bad.
The Bruins mustered just one shot on goal through 20 minutes, lacking spark in all three zones and giving the Blueshirts too much space in their own end. Luckily, the Rangers weren’t having a dazzling night either, which bought the B’s some time to find their footing in the second.
The Bruins got on the power play near the halfway mark of the middle frame and the first unit – made up of Coyle, Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha – got to work and gave its team a pulse.
Marchand swung the puck around from the point to the right side and let off a shot that Zacha redirected towards Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Pastrnak jumped on the rebound off Shesterkin’s right pad and sent it straight to Coyle, who rolled off Adam Fox for strong, net front positioning and was able to knock it in at 11:13 to make it 1-1.
Oct 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates his goal with left wing Brad Marchand (63) against the New York Rangers during the second at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports“I don’t mind being around the net like that, that’s probably where I’m most comfortable if you were picking a spot on the power play,” Coyle said. “Just tried to create my space there, those guys – I didn’t do a whole lot on that one honestly – I just tried to stay around the net.”
Despite shifting the power play to the left side with Zacha at the bumper instead of the right-shot Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins’ man-advantage has had some solid looks this preseason and went 1-for-3 on Thursday.
Montgomery said he’d still like to tighten up the special team performances, specifically the penalty kill, and it’ll be a point of emphasis in the Bruins’ five practice days before opening night.
Coyle centered the second line with Brad Marchand on the left wing and Jake DeBrusk on the right, and really drove play through a total 15:39 on ice, leading the Bruins with three shots. While Coyle did also rack up eight minutes in the penalty box, his brief tussle with Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey added some heart and spirit to what had been a borderline snooze fest.
Oct 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) skates with the puck defended by Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) during the third at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY SportsEntering his 13th season in the league, Coyle is at somewhat of a turning point with his role and responsibility within Boston’s lineup. As he’s done for most of camp, Coyle showed that he’s capable of being a game-changer and gave his squad some life when it needed it most – albeit the game result didn’t truly matter.
And then, it was the Poitras show in the third period. The 19-year-old center was skating on a line with Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie that had done little to impress up until the start of the final 20.
Frederic grinded it out and won a puck battle behind the net with Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller, popping the rubber out to Poitras, who was left completely uncovered in the slot and snapped it far-side for the 2-1 lead at 1:13.
Poitras has been the main topic of conversation throughout camp, and within the last week, the reality of him cracking the opening night roster has become less of an option for the Bruins management. The kid has worked and he deserves a shot in the NHL.
Jul 8, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Matthew Poitras gives an interview after being selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports“He’s earned the right to stick around for a while, that’s for sure,” Montgomery said. “He just seems to be in the right spots. He has the puck a lot because he’s always in the right support position and then when he gets the puck, his poise with the puck, he’s calm beyond his years.”
Preseason action is officially over and the roster is a few players away from final. The Bruins Brass didn’t learn anything new on Thursday, but likely got confirmation on who’s ready for the big stage.
Poitras could – and should – very well be one of them.
“Yeah, I think I’ve had that dream throughout camp so I’m just going to keep going with that and hopefully get in the roster,” Poitras said.