Poitras makes AHL debut

Boston Bruins sophomore centerman Matt Poitras is making his American Hockey League debut tonight in Providence. His assignment was heavily related to circumstances outside his control, but the fact is a centerman as great as David Krejci developed in the AHL, so the experience that Poitras was not eligible for last year but is this year is far from the worst thing that could happen to him.

Poitras, 20, will play more minutes in all situations, and Coach Ryan Mougenel summarized his increased role perfectly on the message board moments ago.

Why now?

The NHL Bruins have struggled mightily out of the gate this season, and Poitras’ return to the lineup from a rookie pro season ended prematurely by injury resulting in a shoulder surgery was a subtle positive amidst a boatload of negatives among the returning core of NHL players.

Achieving continuity of performance through the lineup has led to Boston Coach Jim Montgomery trying Poitras on right wing as well as in the top six. His production has not been stellar, but that had been held back more so by the slow starts from middle-lineup guys Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie.

Poitras gets beat up at the NHL level, but that wasn’t the deciding factor in his AHL assignment. What got him down here was the NHL need for better line-to-line puck pressure. Not that he wasn’t playing a good brand of zone-to-zone hockey, it was the standout play of Pavel Zacha that leveraged this situation.

Acquired in a straight-up with New Jersey for Eric Haula, the Bruins projected Zacha (the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft) as a potential successor down the middle for Krejci. He would spend a season on Krejci’s left wing and spend time on the bench watching Patrice Bergeron).

Zacha’s transition to center for the needy 2023-24 season went extremely well until the hockey turned especially physical late in the season and, ultimately, the playoffs. The Bruins opted to skate Geekie in a second-line plumber’s role (a la Michal Handzus for Joel Quenneville’s Blackhawks in the 2013 Cup final against the Bruins), and Zacha shifted to the wing, a position it was expected he might keep this season with Elias Lindholm on board.

However, as the Bruins have tried to pick themselves up one player at a time and one game at a time, through fits and starts one of the few reliable constants on the NHL squad has been Zacha. Montgomery eventually decided the Bruins need his influence on more of the game, thus his move back to the middle and closer to David Pastrnak.

Charlie Coyle was leveraged back to the bottom six, and the Bruins certainly don’t want Poitras playing less than 10 minutes per game or on Level 9. The AHL assignment is the result. How he handles it is up to him, but no doubt from this perspective that the Boston Bruins very much want to see Poitras back in Boston before long. He does not require waivers, so from a logistics standpoint, there was no risk in the move.

AHL SHIFTS

Wearing No. 21 (defenseman Ian Mitchell, 14 in Boston, wears 51 in the AHL), Poitras joined the play on the fly, spun off a menacing hit, and helped get the puck into the Cleveland end.

Mougenel is deploying him on the P-Bruins first powerplay, and Poitras made four neat plays, first for the zone entry, second to establish possession, then set up two scoring chances.

His immediate impact can be felt.

Third shift: Skating with Joey Abate and Ryan Harrison, Poitras sent Harrison in with an angle that he took behind the net and leveraged a penalty, so the P-Bruins go back to the powerplay early.

Up and down the ice, Poitras doesn’t look especially fast stride for stride, but he’s hopping hard, moving his feet and using his playmaking ability to make things happen every time out so far. Most of the game is being played in Cleveland’s end as a result.

Powerplay shift: Poitras made a mistake on the entry read and dumped off the puck planning on a teammate at the left point, that teammate had pinched somewhat so the puck was cleared.

Riley Duran gets behind the Cleveland D and gives Providence a 1-0 lead at 10:06 of the first period. Assists from Michael Callahan and Tyler Pitlick.

Vinni Lettieri turned the puck over and tripped the Monster opponent in the neutral zone, and James Malatesta scored on the powerplay to even the game with 6:26 remaining in the period.

A disjointed shift followed. Michael DiPietro made a kick save before Lettieri cleared the zone.

The game is evening out now beyond the scoreboard as the Monsters, who have won four in a row and six of their last eight, are playing more on their collective front foot.

Fabian Lysell with a nice strip and steal at the end of a shift and in the final minute of the first period that he turned into a shot on goal. The long rebound caromed out to the left point, and the P-Bruins generated a chance from there.

Shots are 10-7 Providence after one period. Jet Greaves has been the busier of the two goaltenders, but the Monsters are opportunists.

SECOND PERIOD

Poitras got manhandled by Cleveland defenseman Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm in a RW-corner puck battle, and he picked himself up slowly and arrived to the defensive zone way late, only hanging around due to a skirmish at the Providence end. On the resulting 4v4, Stanislav Svozil scored from the right circle and Cleveland took the lead, 2-1 at 3:11 of the second period.

Poitras’ line got the next shift and immediately generated a scoring chance. They got a 4-on-3 powerplay when Owen Sillinger went out for slashing.

Poitras got stripped near the point but was able to stick with his opponent and divert the would-be breakaway. Set up as the center point, he cut off two clearing attempts on the RW halfwall to sustain Providence pressure and passed up a one-timer from the right point for a tighter play he wound up centering to the slot behind his back. The shot was thwarted.

Marc McLaughlin ties it at 7:03, going hard to the net and seeing his shot trickle through Greaves. Riley Duran with the assist.

Poitras doesn’t have many D-zone starts in this game, but this one leads to a penalty on Providence. Frederic Brunet to the box for tripping at 7:57.

Poitras is killing the penalty with Duran, and Duran has been a force tonight, causing havoc and wasting Cleveland’s time.

Max Jones wanted a call behind the Cleveland net, then Cleveland got a call behind the Providence net (Billy Sweeney for boarding at 10:21), setting the fans into hard-boo mode.

DiPietro couldn’t find Denton Mateychuk’s delivery from the left point, and the opportunistic Monsters jumped back ahead (3-2) on the powerplay at 11:09.

Jones swoops in hard with a chance that Greaves cut off at the post.

Back out with Harrison and Lettieri, Poitras lost a puck battle on the halfwall and the P-Bruins were pinned until DiPietro caught a Cleveland shot.

Three assists in this game for Rocco Grimaldi.

Jones hit the post on a doorstep backhand swat of a chance created by Lysell.

Scrum at the Providence end with 1:06 left in the second period … two sets of wrestling bouts with connected jousting… The odd penalty is on Trevor Kuntar for delay of game, and it will carry 54 seconds into the third period.

Shots after two: 23-18 Providence, but Cleveland leads 3-2 at second intermission.

THIRD PERIOD

Cleveland has 54 seconds of PP time…

P-Bruins get the kill, down by 1.

DiPietro with a big save in tight after the D-zone draw was lost, then he snags Max McCue’s shot from the high slot.

Poitras and Lettieri worked together to sustain a P-Bruins possession in the O-zone, but Harrison’s passing attempt from the RW boards got picked off.

McLaughlin down the LW, Mitchell keeps in the clearing attempt, shakes off the first line of defense and moves it down the RW corner back to McLaughlin, who had cycled around … McLaughlin looks cross ice and finds Frederic Brunet leaning in from the left point, and Brunet’s well-aimed shot beats Greaves inside the left post (stick side) at 6:23 of the third.

P-Bruins tie it 3-3.

Poitras, Lettieri and Harrison start in the neutral zone, have to get out of their own zone twice, but did direct the play to the Cleveland end. No shots on this shift.

Down to 7:22 in regulation … 3-3.

Poitras runs through Mateychuk’s hit on the forecheck.

McLaughlin thinks he’s got the go-ahead goal with 5:50 remaining, but it gets waved off. Undeterred, McLaughlin leads a bench celebration during the video review, which does not go Providence’s way. Still 3-3.

The P-Bruins have allowed two PPG’s and a 4v4 goal. Nothing 5v5.

Abate pushed down twice from behind on the same puck hunt, fans scream for justice.

DiPietro with an excellent save on Trey Fix-Wolansky from the high slot, had to shift to intercept with his left shoulder.

Tough shift for the Poitras-Lettieri-Harrison line. Finally, Lettieri ices the puck, so they’re trapped out there with under two minutes left in regulation. They ice it again.

Poitras wins the draw, but the P-Bruins ice it a third time.

Poitras wins the draw again, the P-Bruins finally exit with a Lettieri aerial tip out to center.

Duran rushes with the puck but nothing clean atop Greaves.

Cleveland goes offside with under a minute to go in regs.

Kuntar wins a neutral-zone draw to Brunet, but Brunet flubs the switch pass to his D partner. Madison Bowey’s point shot deflect in behind DiPietro. Video review rules the puck was intercepted with a high stick (above the 4-foot-high crossbar – no goal.

WHEW

This game headed to overtime after all. Great piece of forechecking by Justin Pearson, and DiPietro had to make another big stop with 8.5 seconds left in regulation.

Both teams earn a point. They were playing to win, good on them.

Cleveland outshot Providence 10-5 in the third period, so shots for regulation: 30-27 P-Bruins.

OVERTIME

3v3: Poitras and Lettieri start the OT but never get a touch, as Cleveland rags it, turning back three times (NHL: please make a rule and, AHL, please adopt it).

Pitlick comes back from Providence and generates two chances, his own and the game for Lysell, who shoots wide of the right post.

DiPietro with two saves, the first a dandy on a rushing Grimaldi.

Mateychuk wins it with 1:10 left in the OT. Duran had a thought when Greaves partially fanned on a pass, but taking himself out of the play in the attempt to win the puck led to the 2-on-1 and the GWG. Not a bad play, just bad luck.

Cleveland the more opportunistic team in the 4-3 OT win.

Drrrrrive safely.