Matt Poitras ‘Still Confident’ Despite Rookie Adversity

Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said he's had 'great' meetings with Matt Poitras about the 19-year-old's role on the team and potential growth.

Twenty-five games into his NHL career, Matt Poitras has learned lessons that veteran players alike face every season: There’s highs and lows, the pro rigor gets to you and just because you’ve lost your game, doesn't mean you can’t rediscover it.

The 19-year-old center is dealing with his first dose of personal adversity since entering the league, and it has come in the form of third-period benchings, scheduled rest days and less trust during tight matchups.

Nonetheless, Poitras and the Boston Bruins remain confident in his capabilities and are taking a long-term look at how they manage his transition to becoming a certified NHLer.

“Him and I had a great meeting today,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Monday. “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, there’s struggles for everybody.”

Poitras was a healthy scratch Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres as part of a plan to implement breaks into his schedule. While back in the lineup Saturday afternoon against the Arizona Coyotes, Poitras logged a season-low 8:26 of total ice time as he watched a majority of the third period from the bench.

Montgomery pointed to Poitras’ game management – or lack thereof – as a reason he opted for a more condensed forward group who, in his words, know how to win hockey games. Poitras’ energy and attention to detail needs to last for 60-plus minutes, and shorter, more impactful shifts have been a point of emphasis as he restabilizes himself in the lineup.

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

Poitras has posted 12 points (five goals, seven assists) while most recently skating on the third line with Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.

Despite a costly turnover Saturday that resulted in a Coyotes goal on the other end, Poitras responded by setting up Heinen for his fourth tally of the year. The pivot won a puck battle along the boards in front of the Boston bench and pushed the rubber up to Heinen, who wired it past Arizona’s Connor Ingram for a 4-2 lead in the second period.

The sequence of events was somewhat representative of Poitras’ recent play: he remains a sharp offensive tool, but the 200-foot, rounded responsibility hasn’t been quite up to par.

“We try to impress upon him how much we believe in him and how much he has to continue to grow. Those two things are intertwined in his career-long success as a Bruin,” Montgomery said. “Really receptive. He’s a terrific young man…You want to have an open and honest conversation about why things are transpiring like they do and what he needs to focus on.”

It’s an inevitable adjustment period for Poitras who played the last two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm. The Juniors schedule usually reserved weekdays for practice, weekends for two games and limited travel was involved. The Bruins just came off of a nine-games-in-16-days bender, and that can take its toll.

Luckily, Poitras – and first-year center Johnny Beecher – have a room full of veterans to lean on for advice.

“There’s lots of older guys in this group who talk to me when things aren’t going my way. ‘Lindy’ talked to me and ‘Beech’ after practice today,” Poitras said. “Just talked about [how] it’s a long season, there’s gonna be ups and downs. When you’re in practice, just try to do the right things that translate into what you’re going to do in the game.”

Beyond the in-game tangibles that Montgomery is looking for Poitras to improve upon, he reminded the rookie to smile – he’s playing in the NHL after all. Montgomery said that Poitras’ smile makes him “feel better,” and he wants the youngster to consistently bring that energy to the team.

With Pavel Zacha sidelined with a day-to-day, upper-body injury, Poitras may get the opportunity for heightened ice time Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. Poitras has a list of things to work on from the coaching staff, but at its core, he knows his game and he knows it’s good.

“It’s a tough league, there’s no easy nights,” Poitras said. “I’m still confident in my ability and gonna keep trying to do my thing. Every season, every game there’s going to be some adversity. But I still feel confident.”