Three lessons learned as Matthew Poitras shines and the Bruins overcome the Kings in overtime
“My goal is to regain my conditioning and feel better than I did this evening. Play the minutes they give me, and simply keep working on my craft,” stated Poitras.
Matthew Poitras seems driven to have an influence from the start of his shift, regardless of the task at hand. Townson Winslow/Getty Images
Written by Tim Rosenthal
12 October 2024
The Boston Bruins are still in pursuit of that elusive 60-minute performance after three games.
They have had some success in two of the first three tilts, despite their fair share of setbacks.
The Bruins occasionally found it difficult to generate good scoring opportunities during Saturday’s matinee against the Los Angeles Kings, in contrast to their previous two games against the Panthers and Canadiens. However, Boston was able to survive because to strong goaltending from Jeremy Swayman and another successful performance by the third and fourth lines.
Trevor Moore’s goal at the goal mouth at 5:22 of the second period gave away the first goal for the third straight game, but the Bruins battled back to capture two hard-earned points behind David Pastrnak’s overtime winner and Elias Lindholm’s equalizer.
“I believe we performed well tonight,” Swayman remarked after making 32 saves. “We’re going to keep doing that because it feels good to see us finish it at home.”
Here are some observations from Boston’s hard-fought 2-1 victory, ranging from Matthew Poitras’ outstanding season debut to the Bruins’ overall play.
Playing in his first game since January, Matthew Poitras excels.
Poitras appeared committed to making an impression from his very first shift, regardless of the task at hand.
The 20-year-old made his Boston debut on January 25 against Ottawa before having shoulder surgery that ended the season. Despite the setback, Poitras bounced back quickly enough to begin his off-season training as soon as possible.
Poitras put on ten pounds of muscle during the summer. He believed that his increased weight had no effect on his quickness or speed. He made full use of his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame on Saturday.
Regarding Matthew Poitra’s offensive inventiveness, David Pastrnak said, “It’s hard to take the puck away from him.” Twitter/picture/iC5UrynmkX
— October 12, 2024, Bruins Daily (@BruinsDaily)
It’s clear that he hasn’t participated in a significant game in a while. It’s never easy to be injured, so we were all relieved to see him return. Therefore, we’re glad he’s back,” Pastrnak remarked of Poitras.
“His strength with the puck is amazing.” One thing that definitely stands out the most is that, considering his size, he’s quite good and outstanding at that. It’s amazing for his small that he can hold the puck so tightly.
In puck battles, Poitras didn’t back down from physical contact. He also did not hesitate to set up scoring opportunities for his diverse group of linemates, who included Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, and Pastrnak.
Poitras was successful in all three zones even though he failed to put a single shot on goal. At the end of his hard shift, his well-rounded performance finally paid off in overtime.
A fuming Poitras, having just come off the bench, found Pastrnak for an outlet feed after capitalizing on a turnover. After seeing Pastrnak put the finishing touches on a give-and-go sequence with Mason Lohrei, he didn’t stay seated for very long.
In overtime, David Pastrnak prevails.
Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei both had assists.
Kings are defeated 2-1 by the Bruins. pic.twitter.com/Alp4OMPIbL
— Ryan Conor (@Ryan_93) 12 October 2024
It undoubtedly increases confidence, according to Poitras. “My goal is to regain my conditioning and feel better than I did tonight. Play the minutes they give me and carry on with what I’m doing.
“It undoubtedly boosts self-assurance. I want to feel better than I did tonight and regain my conditioning. Matthew Poitras playing in his first regular-season match following his January injury that ended his season. tweet.com/ljrZLphX64
— October 12, 2024, Bruins Daily (@BruinsDaily)
After going back to the locker room, Pastrnak, his teammates, and the Boston coaching staff gave Poitras their due appreciation. Jim Montgomery thought that Poitras’ performance on Saturday was his best since joining the Bruins, but he also reserved some commendation for his goalie and his checking line forwards.
Bruins rely on Swayman and the bottom six until they settle into a groove.
The Bruins had little trouble finding the back of the net despite their defensive blunders and turnovers in their opening two games. The heavy-checking match on Saturday altered that development.
The Bruins had to rely on their $66 million goalie to keep them within striking distance since offense was hard to come by, both in their attacking zone setup and during transitions. In his second start of the season, Swayman was able to track pucks a little more easily since Boston’s defense didn’t commit as many mistakes.
Boston’s top six offensive players have little success producing at even strength or on the power play. However, the Bruins were able to stay in striking distance thanks to the intensity they maintained from the third and fourth lines.
In 5v5 play, Boston’s bottom six combined had a 17-7 advantage in shot attempts and a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal.
“I believed that, aside from Swayman in goal, people would conclude [from Saturday] that our bottom six carried us and gave us the chance to remain in the game,” Montgomery remarked. “And after that, we managed to profit and push it into overtime.”
Boston Bruin Elias Lindholm.
screenshot.twitter.com/E1Ib8WDZLH
— Sportsnet, October 12, 2024 (@Sportsnet)
After Moore’s goal, the Bruins didn’t panic and rallied in time for Pastrnak’s game-winning goal and Lindholm’s equalizer. In their rematch with the Panthers on Monday, though, they’ll require more from their three defensive pairings and four forward trios.
We’re still looking for that elusive 60-minute workout.
The Bruins may be more prepared for the postseason than they were in previous years if they fill the voids at the top of the lineup and add height and strength to every position on the roster.
However, they haven’t been able to maintain a three-zone effort through the first three games. The Bruins are 2-1 going into their rematch with Florida on Monday, despite their offensive troubles against the Kings and their defensive struggles against the Panthers and Canadiens.
It might take the Bruins a while to settle in this season because of the roster change from the previous one and the continuous changing of the middle six. This group’s ability to develop into a well-rounded unit, however, gives Montgomery and his coaching staff great hope.
“The year is yet young. As a club, we haven’t played a complete 60-minute game yet, so there is still much room for improvement, both offensively and defensively. In the first two games, our defense was lacking. We seemed to have trouble with our transition offense tonight, Montgomery remarked.
“The year is yet young. I constantly have to remind myself to be patient with our bunch because there is a lot of room for improvement in that lineup. And you get excited about what we can become because of that.
