Why Matt Poitras’ Latest Bruins Stint Might Be For Good

Matt Poitras is a member of the Boston Bruins, and barring a major change to the environment around him, it should stay that way.

The 20-year-old isn’t a perfect player, and with just 50 career games under his belt, Poitras still has a lot to learn. At this rate, though, the talent is too much to ignore and given the Bruins’ current state, the sparkplug forward has earned the right for more on-the-job training at the highest level.

Just as it would be foolish to dismiss a bad game as a blip on the radar, we shouldn’t put too much stock into Poitras’ performance in Monday’s win over San Jose, either. That being said, Poitras’ potential was on full display alongside new linemates, and more importantly, he continues to demonstrate the growth of his game.

Poitras logged a modest 13:14 of ice time in the Bruins’ win over the Sharks, but he made the most of his chances. He chipped in with a pair of assists, both on Charlie Coyle goals in the third period. On both tallies, Poitras showed off some heady, skilled plays. The first came when he went to the puck to relieve Brad Marchand, who faced a double-team in the corner, before feeding a nifty backhanded pass into the slot for Coyle. On the second Coyle goal, Poitras deftly maneuvered the puck into the attack zone where he got it to the charging Coyle and then went to the net to create commotion.

While Poitras is a wonderfully gifted offensive player, it’s his work in other areas that impressed and could be the biggest signs he’s in Boston for the long haul, especially as he starts to stack performances.

“I think with Matty we were looking for someone to help transport the puck through the neutral zone,” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco told reporters after the game. “On their goal, he did that. He came through the neutral zone with some speed. … Somebody to help carry the puck through the neutral zone with some speed and some space helps his flanks a lot.

“Defensively, Matty was good tonight. … I just liked the balance of that line here tonight, (and) hopefully that’s something they can build off. We’ll see.”

Give the Bruins credit — it seems they have stumbled into something with the Poitras-Coyle-Marchand line. It makes sense, too. Coyle and Marchand might be the Bruins’ two most responsible forwards, who can teach Poitras on the fly and cover for him when he makes a mistake; Coyle, as Sacco noted, took the defensive-zone faceoffs.

And as they showed Monday, Poitras’ offensive touch and creativity could be just what someone like Coyle — not exactly known for his offensive touch — needs to be productive. Poitras is going to put him in a position to score more often.

“I think we can feed off each other,” Coyle told reporters after the game.

From a big-picture standpoint, the Bruins are at a point where they need to make some decisions about their short- and long-term future. Team president Cam Neely acknowledged as much last week, admitting the team hasn’t performed to the level expected and the Bruins must soon pick their lane.

It’s hard to put too much of that on Poitras. He has only played in 17 of Boston’s 48 games.

Poitras admitted the time in Providence was “very beneficial” and allowed him to regain his confidence, and he did that with eight goals and 12 assists in 20 games with the P-Bruins. While that was happening, the Bruins went through their struggles, especially in the offensive end. At this point, with those decisions looming, it’s more beneficial to see what Poitras can do as an everyday NHLer.

The early returns are pretty good, and Poitras might be ready to take off running.