Poitras Staying Positive Through Ups and Downs of Rookie Season

BOSTON – Matt Poitras is choosing a positive attitude.

Despite a healthy scratch last week and limited playing time in the third period during Saturday’s win over the Coyotes, the rookie centerman is appreciating where he is.

“I’m playing in the NHL. There’s no bad days here,” said Poitras. “I’m having fun and trying to keep a smile on my face and keep some energy in here.”

That was the main focus of Poitras’ meeting with head coach Jim Montgomery on Monday morning ahead of the B’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, as Boston’s bench boss aimed to reinforce an affirmative approach.

“Him and I had a great meeting today…he's a 19-year-old kid that’s doing really good things to help the Bruins be 18-5,” said Montgomery. “And there's going to be struggles…there’s struggles for everybody. Even [David Pastrnak] has struggles…we try to impress how much we believe in him, and how much he has to continue to grow. And those two things are intertwined in his career long path of success as a Bruin.”

Montgomery also tried to express the need for Poitras to help bring some added energy to the group both on the ice and in the dressing room.

“I said, ‘you have a very infectious smile. When you smile, I feel better. So, can you imagine your teammates? You're 19 in the NHL, right?’” said Montgomery. “‘Someone like Brad Marchand has been in here for 15 years, he might think going to New Jersey is just another game…but you, it's the first time you’re going to New Jersey. That brings the energy that we need.’”

Poitras, who has 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in 25 games, assured his coach that he can certainly help in that regard.

“I can do that,” he said. “Mostly just have a smile on your face and enjoy the work. I’m a younger guy. He said I should be getting to the older guys and getting them more energy, I should bring energy every day.”

Montgomery was pleased with how Poitras received the message.

“Really receptive. He's a terrific young man,” said Montgomery. “He comes into the meeting, I think he could walk under the crack of the door into my office, and he walks out and he can walk through both…and that's what you want.

“You want to have an open and honest conversation about why things are transpiring like they do, and what he needs to focus on, give him two things to focus on, to really allow him to have success. And if I go down to three lines, be part of the three lines.”

Poitras said that one of the areas that he’s focusing on is properly conserving his energy throughout a game, which means taking shorter shifts and not trying to do too much.

“You think you have juice left but one shift kind of bleeds into another long shift and you kind of don’t have energy for the rest of the game,” said Poitras. “For me, it’s shorten my shift length so I can have more energy throughout the game.

“Taking shorter shifts, simplifying my game. I’ve always been the guy who likes to make plays offensively and making take a few risks. There’s a time and place as it gets late into a game. I want the coaches to trust me and put me out there.

“I’ve got to be able to simplify my game and put pucks in when it’s needed and we have a lead late.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is also adjusting to the physical grind of playing in the NHL on a nightly basis.

“The schedule is pretty hectic, it’s not what I’m used to,” said Poitras. “They say junior prepares you more for pro than college but last year was more of a weekend league [in the OHL], so we had all week to practice and prepare for the weekend and then only play two games.

“It’s definitely different…being on the ice a lot, you’re not gonna feel 100 percent through the season but I think it’s just about doing the right things on a day to day basis and getting good sleep and trying to make yourself feel as good as possible every day.”

Despite the challenges, Poitras believes he remains in a good place.

“It’s a tough league, there’s no easy nights,” he said. “I’m still confident in my ability and gonna keep trying to do my thing and every season, every game, there’s gonna be some adversity but I still feel pretty confident.”

A Trio Missing

The Bruins were without Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Pavel Zacha for Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. Marchand and McAvoy skated together before the full team, though Zacha did not take the ice.

“[Zacha’s] still day to day,” said Montgomery. “We'll have more of a definitive answer [Tuesday] on whether he's a player for us Wednesday [in New Jersey], same goes for Chuck. They're progressing, but they're not at the stage where we can say they’re players yes or no yet for Wednesday.”

Marchand’s absence was for scheduled maintenance.

“It was scheduled last week that this would be maintenance day for him,” said Montgomery.

Mitchell Fitting In

Should McAvoy be absent again on Wednesday in New Jersey, it’s likely that Ian Mitchell would remain in the lineup. The blue liner filled in on Saturday afternoon and was a plus-3 in 18:27 of ice time in Boston’s win over the Coyotes. It was his first contest since Nov. 25 in New York.

“Just try stay mentally engaged. It’s tough when you’re out for an extended period of time, but just knowing that when I do get an opportunity to play, I have to be aggressive and ready to play,” said Mitchell. “It’s always exciting to get a chance to play in the NHL so you try to run with it when you get the opportunity.

Montgomery has seen significant growth in Mitchell’s approach and adjustment to Boston’s system.

“I think he's grown more mentally than I would say physically,” said Montgomery. “I think physically, the skating, being aggressive…but mentally he's become more aggressive. And I think mentally, he's understood why it's special to be a Bruin. You're cared about, you're treated well, even if you're not in the lineup…you mean a lot to the group.

“And I think mentally I believe, at least hopefully, I think that's put him in a better place mentally to know and understand why it's special to be a Bruin.”

Practice Makes Perfect

For the second straight week, the Bruins are in the midst of an extended four-day break. Last week, Boston struggled when it returned to the ice on Thursday against Buffalo and a poor practice the day before was referenced as a pre cursor.

As such, Montgomery is aiming to make sure there is not a repeat occurrence when the Bruins return to game action on Wednesday against the Devils.

“Very mindful of it. But more importantly, mindful of the standard we're trying to keep here in the culture of demanding excellence,” said Montgomery. “We’re not going to be perfect, but we can demand excellence. We can demand excellence, effort, and execution. Right now, you see it all over the league.

“We just saw Rangers lose two, Vegas went through it a little while ago, we went through it three games in a row, Dallas – the teams that started off really good have all had five game segments where they wouldn't like it.

“Now Vegas got out, they’re playing great again. We need to get out of it. And our effort and execution is what's going to lead us out of there.”

Montgomery briefly stopped Monday’s practice to remind the players of that standard.

“I stopped practice before we switched drills,” he said. “I asked them if they thought practice was good enough, and Pasta said ‘no’ right away. So I said, ‘Well, let's pick it up here in this next drill so that we can accomplish good things to get ready for Wednesday.’”

Boston’s bench boss pointed to Matt Grzelcyk and Hampus Lindholm as those who led the way during the session.

“Guys dug in, and we made each other better, which is part of our culture,” said Montgomery. “We're pushing each other to be better. I thought Grzelcyk and Lindholm, in particular, really raised the level.”