Jim Montgomery maps out his message to Bruins’ Matt Poitras amid rookie struggles

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Jim Montgomery maps out his message to Bruins’ Matt Poitras amid rookie struggles

Posted By: jasabacklink December 11, 2023

Bruins

“Just try to keep a smile on my face and get some energy to the guys.”

Matt Poitras logged under nine minutes of ice time in Saturday’s win over Arizona. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Jim Montgomery kept things simple in his one-on-one meeting with Matt Poitras on Monday morning.

After getting stapled to the bench in the third period of Saturday’s win over the Coyotes, Poitras was receptive to Montgomery’s preaching of shorter shifts and minimizing risk with the puck on his stick. 

Another edict from Boston’s bench boss? Smile.

“You have a very infectious smile,” Montgomery told the 19-year-old pivot. “I said, ‘When you smile, I feel better.’ Can you imagine your teammates? You know you’re 19 and in the NHL, right?

“Someone like Brad Marchand who has been here for 15 years — he might think going to New Jersey is just another game. For you, it’s the first time I’m going to New Jersey. I said that brings the energy that we need.”

Montgomery stressed the positives during his sit-down with Poitras, harping on the strides that the rookie has made after many expected him to toil down in junior hockey for at least another full season.

A trek to Newark or a frigid road contest in Winnipeg may not stand as a premier destination for a veteran like Marchand. But for Poitras, it sure beats riding the bus for hours on end with the Guelph Storm.

And based on Poitras’ demeanor in Boston’s dressing room on Monday morning, it seems like he’s taken his coach’s comments to heart.

“Smile and have fun,” Poitras said. “I mean, I’m playing in the NHL. There’s no bad days here. I’m having fun. Just try to keep a smile on my face and get some energy to the guys.”

Of course, it was to be expected for Poitras’ enthusiasm and energy to wane at several stages during his first foray against NHL competition.

Saturday marked the second time in a week that Poitras has spent the majority of a third period on the pine.

Before logging just 8:26 of ice time against Arizona, Poitras logged just two shifts in the final period of regulation against the Maple Leafs on Dec. 2. In a competitive game against an Original Six rival where Boston twice relinquished a one-goal lead, Poitras finished with just 10:43 of ice time in Toronto.

Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Coyotes had all of the makings of a bounce-back game for Poitras, especially after Montgomery tabbed the rookie as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Sabres in order to keep his legs fresh.

But even with Poitras benefitting from a prescribed day off and plenty of pivot minutes up for grabs after Pavel Zacha exited Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, the teenager found himself back in Montgomery’s doghouse.

In the second period of play against Arizona, Poitras coughed up a puck in the neutral zone that Michael Carcone promptly wristed past Linus Ullmark to cut Boston’s deficit to one. But to Poitras’ credit, the rookie made up for his miscue just minutes later.

During another battle along the boards in the neutral zone, Poitras forced a turnover against Coyotes star forward Clayton Keller, ultimately sending the biscuit up the ice toward teammate Danton Heinen.

Skating into Arizona’s zone, Heinen snapped a puck past goalie Connor Ingram less than six minutes after Carcone’s tally to give Boston some breathing room once again.

All things considered, the Bruins have been pleased with Poitras’ production in the NHL ranks, considering his accelerated timeline to the pros. Through 25 games with Boston, Poitras has lit the lamp five times and posted 12 total points — averaging 14:04 of ice time per contest.

Even in games where he registers zeros on the scoresheet, Poitras’ poise with the puck is evident in the offensive zone — while his knack for shrugging off a bad shift or miscue has prevented any extended lulls from sapping away his confidence.

“He’s a 19-year-old kid that’s doing really good things to help the Bruins be 18-5,” Montgomery said of Poitras. “And there’s gonna be struggles. I mean, there’s struggles for everybody. Even [David Pastrnak] has struggles. … We try to impress upon him on how much we believe in him and how much he has to continue to grow. And those two things are intertwined in his career-long path of success as a Bruin.”

Even though Poitras is not lacking in confidence, these bumps in the road and developmental growing pains have not come as a surprise.

Be it a fourth-line grinder like Johnny Beecher or a potential franchise stalwart like Chicago’s Connor Bedard, every rookie NHLer must deal with the inevitable hurdles that must be cleared to find one’s footing in this league.

“There’s no easy nights,” Poitras said. “I mean, I’m still confident in my ability and I’m gonna keep trying to do my thing. Every season, every game there’s gonna be some adversity. But I still feel pretty confident. … .. I’ve always been kind of a guy who likes to make plays offensively and maybe take a few risks, but I think there’s a time in place.

“I think, as it gets late into a game, I want the coaches to trust me and put me out there. I got to be able to simplify my game, put pucks in when it’s needed when we have a lead late.”

Poitras’ first season in the NHL has not been without its fair share of twists and turns.

But Boston’s top-six center of the future has impressed his elder teammates as far as his ability to stay grounded in the midst of adversity.

“I think the biggest advice for him obviously is just keep doing what you’re doing,” Jake DeBrusk said of Poitras. “I think it’s one of those things where it’s a really hard league to have confidence in and it’s easy for it to get shot. Don’t look at the outside noise. I told him if he does — you just look up my name and you’ll feel a lot better about yourself.”