“I’m gonna go with the guys that I think are gonna win us a hockey game.”
Saturday had all of the makings of a bounce-back game for Matt Poitras.
The Bruins rookie center took to the TD Garden ice on fresh legs, with his last game coming six days earlier against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Jim Montgomery opted to keep the 19-year-old pivot out of the lineup for Boston’s home game against the Sabres on Thursday — a prescribed plan designed to keep the youngster fresh amid the grind of an 82-game season.
“It’s something we’ve been discussing. We’re trying to put him in situations to have a lot of success,” Montgomery said following Boston’s loss to Buffalo. “He’ll be back in the lineup on Saturday. This is an opportunity for him to build some strength and some rest into his program.”
Fully rested entering a matinee matchup against Arizona, the avenue opened up for Poitras to earn even more ice time against the Coyotes after top-six centerman Pavel Zacha exited the game early due to an upper-body injury.
As expected, Boston’s remaining forward grouping stepped into heavier reps down the middle with Zacha missing the final two periods of play.
Charlie Coyle finished the game with 20:17 of ice time, while Morgan Geekie logged 17:31 of reps after getting pushed into a middle-six role. Trent Frederic earned a few shifts down the middle, finishing his afternoon with two helpers and 15:13 TOI.
Poitras? Just 8:26 of ice time in Boston’s win, with the forward stapled to the bench during the third period of play.
Speaking postgame, Montgomery acknowledged that Poitras’s minutes were sapped “on purpose,” rather than due to injury.
“It’s valuing game management is something that we’ve talked to him about,” Montgomery said of the rationale behind benching Poitras. “And it’s still lacking in his game right now. We’re paid to win hockey games and I’m gonna go with the guys that I think are gonna win us a hockey game.”
Poitras had an up-and-down game during his limited reps against the Coyotes. The rookie contributed to a two-goal salvo for the Coyotes over the span of 33 seconds in the second period, coughing up a puck in the neutral zone that was promptly wristed past Linus Ullmark to cut Boston’s lead to one.
However, Poitras did make up for the infraction just minutes later. While engaged in a board battle near center ice with Coyotes star Clayton Keller, Poitras jammed the biscuit loose and knocked it ahead to Danton Heinen, who carried it in Arizona’s zone and snapped it into twine to extend Boston’s lead to two goals once again.
Still, be it Poitras’s earlier miscues or Boston nursing a one-goal lead for a significant stretch in the third period, Montgomery opted to keep Poitras off the ice in crunch time.
“It’s a demanding position for us. Especially down low,” Montgomery said of the center position, harping on the defensive responsibilities. “I figured we were gonna spend a lot of time down low in the third period, just with the way they were pressing. That’s the way it worked out.”
This is not the first time that Poitras has been stuck on the pine over critical stretches of a game.
During Boston’s eventual 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs on Dec. 2, Poitras logged just two shifts in the third period and 10:43 of total ice time in a competitive game where Boston twice relinquished a one-goal lead.
Speaking on Dec. 3, Montgomery explained why Poitras’s ice time was cut up in Toronto.
“It’s an opportunity to watch and grow and learn,” Montgomery noted. “It was a situation where we had a 3-2 lead with whatever it was, eight minutes left, and we’re gonna go with the guys that have been tried and true before, and he’s got to sit there and watch. If he gets the opportunity, and he will, he’s got to do the right things without the puck to be able to be out there.”
Poitras has offered up plenty of promise at an area of need in Boston’s lineup — both in 2023 and especially in the years ahead. The rookie has scored five goals and posted 12 total points over 25 total games.
But it’s clear that Montgomery and the Bruins’ coaching staff are handing Poitras a short leash as he tries to navigate the challenges present in hockey’s most daunting league.
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