The Boston Bruins play their preseason finale tonight against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 pm, and the lines that were announced for the game might raise an eyebrow. Up to this point in the preseason, 19-year-old center Matthew Poitras has sometimes played with Brad Marchand and 61-goal scorer David Pastrnak. Currently, Poitras is the leading scorer on the Bruins with four points, including a pretty goal in Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to Washington. The second round draft pick in 2022 has made the decision on whether to keep him on the roster or send him back to the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League a difficult one. But what should not be difficult is deciding who Poitras should play with in Thursday’s final exhibition game.
Poitras is slated to center a line with Morgan Geekie on his right and Trent Frederic on his left side. Geekie was signed to a two-year deal as a free agent from Seattle in the off-season. There is some upside to his game, but the forward has yet to put it all together. Frederic had a career-high 16 goals last season but is not known for his offensive talents. The choice to play Poitras with two bottom-six forwards is a strange one. If the playmaking center is to excel early on this season with the Bruins, he will need to play with the top offensive talent on the team.
The better match for Poitras is to play with Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. That would give the Ontario native two viable goal scorers and allow him to utilize his offensive skill set to the best of his ability. Tonight’s game is the last test for Poitras, who has exceeded expectations and put himself in a position to be an NHL player right away. Hopefully, the Bruins put him in the best situation to succeed.
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