Jim Montgomery Sheds Light On Meeting With Bruins’ Matthew Poitras

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Boston Bruins rookie Matthew Poitras had his confidence shook.

The 19-year-old was a healthy scratch for Boston’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres last Thursday and then watched from the bench for the entire third period as the Bruins closed out a 5-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

Despite the rough stretch, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery isn’t trying to make Poitras an outcast and instead spent part of Monday trying to build the young centerman back up.

“Him and I had a great meeting today,” Montgomery told reporters following practice at Warrior Ice Arena, per team-provided video. “He’s a 19-year-old kid that’s doing really good things to help the Bruins be 18-5. And there’s going to be struggles. There’s struggles for everybody. Even (David Pastrnak) has struggles despite the fact that he’s third in scoring.

“We tried to impress upon him 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 said he was straightforward with Poitras as to why his playing time decreased over the last two games. And Montgomery believes Poitras took the message in stride.

“He’s really receptive,” Montgomery said. “He’s a terrific young man. He comes into the meeting and I think he could walk under the crack of the door into my office and he walks out and he can walk through both. 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.”

While Montgomery didn’t reveal exactly what he wants Poitras to focus on, Poitras gave insight on areas he needs to improve in. And for Poitras, who has five goals and 12 assists in his first 25 NHL games, it’s all about doing the basics well.

“Taking shorter shifts, just kind of simplifying my game,” Poitras told reporters, per team-provided video. “I’ve always been kind of a guy who likes to make plays offensively and maybe take a few risks, but there’s a time and place. As it gets later into a game, if I want the coaches to trust me and put me out there, I got to be able to simplify my game and put pucks in when its needed when we have a lead late.”

Montgomery wants Poitras to bring a sense of joy back to his game, too, which led the bench boss to pass along one final piece of advice.

“I actually talked to Poitras about, ‘You have a very infectious smile. When you smile, I feel better. So, can you imagine your teammates? You know you’re 19 in the NHL, right? 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,'” Montgomery said.