The time may have come for Matt Poitras to find some permanent digs in Boston.
The 19-year-old rookie has been trying to prove that he belongs in the National Hockey League instead of back with the US junior team in Guelph, and he made the best case possible on Sunday night in Anaheim.
Poitras scored his first two career goals in the third period to lift the B’s to a 3-1 come-from-behind win over the Ducks in Anaheim.
Before Poitras struck, it appeared the game was getting away form the B’s.
The Ducks had broken a scoreless tie at 5:05 of the third period off the rush. Kevin Shattenkirk got caught trying to pinch and the Ducks were off to the races. Eventually, Mason MacTavish cleaned a up a Ryan Strome pass on a 2-on-1.
But the B’s tied it up just 1:24 later on a momentous goal. Poitras had been the B’s most creative player from the second period on .But at 6:29, he was the recipient of a sweet feed. Off the rush, Morgan Geekie took the puck in deep on his off wing and made a pretty backhand pass to Poitras, who deposited his first NHL goal into a wide open net.
The kid wasn’t done.
Poitras gave the B’s the lead at 10:20. This time he parked himself at the right side of the net from where he was able to lift a rebound of a Jake DeBrusk shot over goalie John Gibson for the 2-1 lead.
Brad Marchand then gave the B’s a two-goal cushion with an empty net goal with 2:34 left in regulation.
The B’s had some decent chances in the first period and nearly took the lead right off the bat. On an early penalty kill, Jake DeBrusk had a clean breakaway and had Gibson beaten but the shot clanged off the post.
The B’s also had three power-play chances and their attack got more potent with each chance, but Gibson (23 saves) was solid in net.
In the second period, the Ducks started to wrest control of the flow as the B’s got too loose, allowing Anaheim to gain the zone with speed, but Linus Ullmark made all the required stops.
The B’s, outshot in the second period 11-5, finally got a couple of chances late in the period. Poitras stole the puck behind the Anaheim net and set up Shattenkirk for a great scoring chance that Gibson gobbled up. David Pastrnak also set up Pavel Zacha for a good chance but Gibson didn’t give him any room on the shortside.
*Jake DeBrusk was back in the lineup against the Ducks after being scratched for Saturday’s game in Los Angeles because he was late for a team meeting. Coach Jim Montgomery said DeBrusk “handled it like a pro” and that the matter is behind them.
“There’s just a standard we believe in here and and when that standard isn’t met, there’s repercussions. But yesterday’s over with. It’s a new day and we’re moving forward,” Montgomery told reporters in Anaheim before the game.
*A couple of B’s veterans were nicked up and had to sit on Sunday. Milan Lucic, who picked up the primary assist on Morgan Geekie’s goal against the Kings when he took Derek Forbort’s shot off his right foot, had to take the night off, as did Forbort, who has been battling a groin injury.
*Matt Grzelcyk had to leave the game briefly in the first period when he took a huge hit from Sam Carrick in the offensive slot but he was able to return.
*Trent Frederic ran into a big Radko Gudas check late in the second period and had to go to the room but he returned to start the third period.
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