BOSTON — With 15:03 left in the third period, Matt Poitras, the Bruins’ 19-year-old rookie, put a move on NHL veteran Evgeny Kuznetsov to get a clear path to the net and then fired the puck past Stanley Cup-winning goalie Darcy Kuemper.
Bruins fans are falling in love with Poitras before many of them have learned how to pronounce the Ajax, Ontario native’s name. It’s “POT-ra.” Unlike his game, the I and the S are silent. He’s making himself harder and harder to cut.
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It’s a difficult call. Because of his age, the Bruins can’t send him to the AHL. It’s either back to the Ontario Junior Hockey League or a spot on the big club. They can extend his audition through 10 regular season games before he starts to get paid as an NHL player. If he’s good enough to make the team and center one of the top two lines, suddenly Charlie Coyle is back on what becomes a very strong third line. But the Bruins don’t want to guess wrong.
So Boston management has continually tested Poitras to see if he really is ready. He’s skated with several different linemates, on the power play, the penalty kill and in the 3-on-3 overtime. They’ve saddled him with abundant minutes even after back-to-back travel conditions he’ll never see in the NHL regular season. So far he’s passed every test.
Boston coach Jim Montgomery has said throughout camp that he wanted to see how Poitras, whose teenage frame is still filling out, would hold up against men. Emphasizing that point after Tuesday’s pregame skate, Montgomery specifically wondered how he’d do against “the Nicklas Backstroms and Kutznetsovs of the world.”
Poitras held his own against both for most of the game. But in the third period, he made a play that could go a long way toward landing him a roster spot. Poitras collected the puck on the left wing boards early in the third period. He moved toward the blue line as if he planned to cycle toward the net. Kuznetsov shadowed him there, but Poitras swerved quickly and then darted along the goal line toward the net.
He took a quick step out front and flipped it by Kuemper. It was the best play among a collection of good ones he’s made during the exhibition games.
Poitras has changed the narrative around the Bruins this preseason. Instead of all the talk about who isn’t here anymore, he’s made it about who is. As soon as No. 51 jerseys start showing up in the pro shop, people are going to start buying them.
“He’s a smart player. He’s had a really good camp so far. He sees the ice very well. Competitor. He’s not scared to go in the corners of the tough areas. He’s definitely shown a lot of promise,” said Brad Marchand, who played on a line with Poitras Tuesday. “He’s a great little player. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. He reminds me a lot of (Mitch) Marner, the way that he plays. He’s smart on both sides of the puck.”
Poitras’ ability to adapt might be his most impressive trait. He’s adapted to teams being physical against him. His faceoffs have improved. If it wasn’t for his barely shaveable baby face, Matt Poitras wouldn’t look like a rookie.
“I don’t know,” he said responding to a question about whether he’s done enough to stick. “I think I’ve played pretty well. I think I’ve done everything I can. I think I made it pretty difficult on them.”
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