Sporting a modified crew cut that he jokingly said makes him more “aerodynamic,” the Bruins’ best prospect returned to Boston and was slotted into the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
How long he stays here is up to him.
After finding his game in Providence, center Matt Poitras was recalled by Boston on Tuesday and, though Charlie Coyle (illness) was a game-time decision, the 20-year-old Poitras was set to be in the lineup against the Lightning regardless of Coyle’s status.
It took him a few games to get going, but Poitras had 8-12-20 totals in 23 games.
The hope is that more ice time – and more time, in general – will allow him to handle an NHL load better than when he went down.
“For me, it was just getting on the ice a lot more, more practices, more reps and I got that confidence back that I thought I was playing with at the start of this year and last year,” said Poitras after the morning skate. “It was just going out there and having fun and let the rest of the stuff take care of itself. It was just getting that confidence back, get a lot puck touches and it was very beneficial toward me.”
While coach Joe Sacco said that there may come times when someone else will take a defensive zone draw and Poitras will shift to the right side for the faceoff, the idea is for Poitras to play center so he can transport the puck through the middle of the ice and help the B’s improve their rush offense. But the club wants to see improvements in his game details as well.
“His compete level needs to be hard away from the puck, too. Some of the details defensively, playing in our own zone, those are things we obviously take pride in,” said Sacco. “He’s getting better at that, from all indications, especially down in Providence. He’s getting stronger, which is a good sign for us. We don’t want to take away from his offense and just turn him into this guy that’s going to be a checker. That’s not what we’re saying. But he has to be a good, reliable 200-foot player but at the same time let his offense come out. That’s hopefully what he’s going to do for us.”
Poitras said that part of his re-education in Providence was learning that he had to do more off-ice training to handle more minutes.
But his time in Providence was a good mental re-set.
“I just feel more comfortable as a player compared to when I went down. I just feel better overall. I just like being on the ice. I kind of found that love for the game again and it just makes you feel better when you get on the ice every day. It makes it easier coming to the rink,” said Poitras, who skated between Oliver Wahlstrom and Trent Frederic in the morning.
“It’s a really tough league and when things don’t go your way it’s obviously very frustrating. Yeah, I was frustrated but … I feel better.”
Poitras said he got support from Boston teammates when he was sent down and it helped.
“Obviously you’re kind of down in the dumps when you get sent down,” said Poitras. “You think it’s the end of the world. Obviously, it isn’t. It’s just playing hockey and hockey for a living. So you can’t really get too focused on that.”
Poitras has developed as more of a set-up man through his young career. His last season in Guelph he had 16-79-95 totals. But in Providence, he found the back of the net with increased frequency. He had a seven-game goal scoring streak at one point.
“When you get that confidence and you get rolling, it’s a great feeling,” said Poitras. “I felt like I was just shooting the puck more and I guess being more selfish. Sometimes I look to pass more and I think when you get those opportunities to shoot, they don’t come that often. When you shoot the puck, good things happen.”
And this Bruins team will take goal scoring from wherever they can get it.
McAvoy out
The B’s will be without Charlie McAvoy for at least the next couple of games as he was placed on IR, dating to Jan. 11. He took a stick up high late in the Florida game but Sacco said the injury is something that he’s been dealing with for while. Guess is it’s an upper body injury because he skated prior to the team session in the morning. Mike Callahan was brought up from Providence.
Loose pucks
Hampus Lindholm was also placed on long-term injury reserve but, so far at least, that was just a salary cap maneuver to make room for the new bodies coming up. He continues to skate with assistant John McLean and Sacco said he’s making good progress. The next step will be to join the team in practice.
Mark Kastelic, who suffered an apparent head injury last Tuesday in Tampa, was placed on IR. He skated prior to the team session as well and would be eligible to come off IR for Saturday’s game in Ottawa. ... In Saturday’s game in Florida, Wahlstrom snapped a nine-game goal and pointless streak to start his Bruin career. But Sacco still sees areas for improvement.
“There’s still things in his game that he needs to continue to develop, especially away from the puck, defensive zone coverage, things like that,” said Sacco. “But he has created some chances. It was nice to see him cash in on his first one. Again, it’s the play away from the puck and continue to be physical when he can. He’s shown signs and moments of that when he’s winning some one-on-one battles and we’d like to see that more consistently from him, too.”