The start of the season did not go as planned for Matthew Poitras, but the Bruins forward made strides this week toward a return to the lineup.
Poitras suffered an undisclosed injury during the final week of preseason. Head coach Jim Montgomery ruled the 20-year-old day-to-day, and the forward missed Boston’s season-opening loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
He returned to morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday, so it appeared like he was close to a return, but he will miss the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
“Poitras is continuing to make his steps that we go through,” Montgomery told reporters, per a team-provided video. “Today (Thursday) was his first day without a red jersey.”
In his first pro season, Poitras scored five goals and tallied 10 assists for 15 points in 33 games. His rookie season was cut short due to shoulder surgery, so his setback to begin his sophomore campaign was not ideal.
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Jeremy Swayman will be in net along with two other changes to the lineup. Montgomery noted he wanted everyone to experience game action to start the season, so there’s hope that once Poitras is cleared to play, he’ll make his season debut.
Featured image via Russell LaBounty/Imagn Images
