The pros and cons of the Bruins releasing Matt Poitras for the world juniors

ELMONT, N.Y. — Matt Poitras was a healthy scratch for the Boston Bruins’ 5-4 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Friday. It was the second time in the last four games the rookie was out of the lineup.

The Bruins are pacing the 19-year-old through his first pro season. They are emphasizing recovery for the teenager so he can play at his best. Trent Frederic, usually a right wing, moved to center the No. 3 line between James van Riemsdyk and Jesper Boqvist. The latter, a healthy scratch against the New Jersey Devils, took Poitras’ spot. Boqvist played a game-low 4:47 after being benched in the second period.

“As planned,” coach Jim Montgomery said of Poitras’ absence. “With the maintenance plan we’ve put in place for him for load management.”

Whether a more extended segment out of his Black-and-Gold uniform is pending remains to be seen.

Hockey Canada has asked the Bruins if they are interested in releasing Poitras for the World Junior Championship. As of Friday, the Bruins were still debating the choice.

“We’re not making a decision on that right now,” Montgomery said. “No decision.”

Hockey Canada announced its roster on Wednesday. They named only 12 forwards with the hopes that Poitras would become available. The team departed for Sweden on Thursday. Canada’s first game is on Dec. 26 against Finland.

The native of Whitby, Ontario, was not on Canada’s radar for last year’s tournament. According to Guelph Storm coach Chad Wiseman, Poitras made his biggest jump in the second half of 2022-23. By then, the tournament was over. Canada beat Czechia to win gold.

At one point of the season, it looked like letting Poitras go to the under-20 tournament would be a non-starter. He had an assist in his NHL debut. Poitras scored his first two career goals against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 22. Two nights later, he blew past then-Chicago Blackhawk Corey Perry to score on a breakaway.

Poitras was playing impactful minutes at center behind Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle. He was developing and helping the Bruins win.

It hasn’t been as easy for Poitras lately. On Dec. 9 against the Arizona Coyotes, his first game back from being scratched, Poitras was benched for the entire third period. The Bruins were already without Zacha, who played just one period because of an upper-body injury.

Poitras logged a career-low 8:26 of ice time. Two days later, Poitras and Montgomery met at Warrior Ice Arena to discuss the benching and how to proceed past it.

Poitras was back in the next game against the Devils, centering van Riemsdyk and Danton Heinen. In the third period, with the Bruins up 1-0, Poitras got caught too high in the defensive zone. Before the rookie could recover to the front of the net, Dawson Mercer backhanded the game-tying shot past Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins lost in overtime 2-1.

Frederic is not the only right wing playing center. Morgan Geekie has moved to the middle too. Patrick Brown, recalled from Providence on Thursday, can also play center. Brown was a healthy scratch on Friday.

So the Bruins may believe they have enough at center to get through without Poitras. If so, they’d release Poitras with the expectation of the 19-year-old flourishing at world juniors.

That may be the case. Owen Beck (one game, Montreal Canadiens), Tristan Luneau (seven games, Anaheim Ducks), Fraser Minten (four games with the Toronto Maple Leafs) and Matthew Savoie (one game, Buffalo Sabres) are the only players on the roster with NHL experience. In theory, Poitras (26 NHL games) would be one of Canada’s go-to players.

In 2014, David Pastrnak scored seven points in five games for Czechia at the world juniors. After one AHL tuneup following the tournament, Pastrnak was recalled to Boston. He scored twice against the Philadelphia Flyers in his second game. Pastrnak played just one more AHL game after that.

But Pastrnak was in Providence at the time of his release. He was not pulled out of the NHL. He was also 18.

It’s hard to say how Poitras would react to returning to his age group. Prior pro experience does not guarantee WJC success.

Fabian Lysell had 19 points in 20 AHL games last year when the Bruins released him to Sweden. It did not go well for Lysell. The right wing had zero points in seven games. The 2021 first-rounder has yet to make his NHL debut.

Poitras will be back in the lineup on Saturday at home against the New York Rangers. The game may help the Bruins make their final decision.

No pressure.

‘Biggest win of the year’

The Bruins were down 2-0 in the second period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom pulled away from a two-on-one short-handed rush against Kevin Shattenkirk. The Islanders had two chances to make it a 3-0 game and put the lights out on the Bruins.

Linus Ullmark said no each time.

First, Ullmark lunged from left to right to follow Holmstrom’s slot-line pass and get in front of Pageau’s point-blank chance. Then when Holmstrom thought he had an empty net on the rebound, Ullmark stretched out his left leg and got his skate on the shot.

“I might have to do a hip transplant,” Ullmark cracked.

On the following rush up the ice, Geekie scored on the power play to put the Bruins on the scoreboard. Pastrnak added a power-play goal later in the second to tie the game, 2-2.

None of it would have been possible without Ullmark. Because of his show-stopping stuff, he held off the Islanders until his teammates found traction.

“Probably game’s over if they score there,” Montgomery said. “Tremendous. Tremendous compete, third effort on the puck. Besides his skill set of how he stops pucks, that just comes down to competing for your team.”

The Islanders pulled ahead two more times in the third. The Bruins tied it each time. In the shootout, Coyle and Pastrnak both went high on Ilya Sorokin.

“To me, that’s the biggest win of the year,” Montgomery said. “Just because of the attitude on the bench. It’s the first time where I felt like there was energy, emotion. Everybody believed.”

The Bruins tied it at 4-4 in the most unlikely way. Mason Lohrei flung a puck on net from below the goal line. It thudded off Sorokin’s right pad and crossed the line. Lohrei had no idea what happened.

“I didn’t see it go in,” said Lohrei. “I think I just saw Marshy in front start celebrating. I just jumped in on the rush. Puck got to the net. There was a bunch of chaos.”

The Bruins took three of four points in their two-game visit to Long Island and New Jersey. Ullmark and Swayman had a big say in that. It might have to be the way they proceed until Zacha and Charlie McAvoy return.

“Probably don’t get any points if we don’t have the goaltending we have. That’s just the honest truth,” said Montgomery. “It’s a huge part of our team and we know that. We’ve said it all year. It’s the strength of our team. But it allows our team to find our game and give us an opportunity to win. They did it a lot last year too. But it seemed like last year, we played in front a lot.”

(Photo: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)