Bruins' Poitras 'kind of blacked out' during 2-goal eruption vs. Ducks
Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras got his first NHL goal in the third period of Sunday night's contest against the Anaheim Ducks.
He scored his second four minutes later.
"It's pretty surreal, I mean, just seeing the puck go in the net, I was really excited," Poitras told reporters postgame. "I don't really know what I did. I kind of blacked out a little bit, but just super excited and super happy."
Poitras' first tally of his career came off a slick centering pass from Morgan Geekie.
THAT'S THE FIRST NHL GOAL FOR MATTHEW POITRAS pic.twitter.com/RMmjlRtJqY
- NHL (@NHL) October 23, 2023
"(Geekie) made that play twice. The first time, I just missed it far right," Poitras told NESN's Adam Pellerin. "I thought, 'If he gave me another one, I'm going to put it in the back of the net.'"
Poitras' second goal came off a hardworking shift that saw him bang in Jake DeBrusk's rebound.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE!
- NHL (@NHL) October 23, 2023
Matthew Poitras nets his second goal!! pic.twitter.com/JmGeg6yIdl
Poitras' two-goal outburst fueled the undefeated Bruins to a 3-1 comeback victory over Anaheim. Ducks forward Mason McTavish broke the 0-0 deadlock early in the final frame, but Poitras responded just over one minute later.
Bruins captain Brad Marchand iced the contest with an empty-netter as Beantown improved to 5-0-0 on the season.
It was only a matter of time before Poitras got his first goal. The 19-year-old was promoted to the Bruins' top six after the first two games of the season and has since spent time centering a line between the likes of Marchand, Geekie, and DeBrusk.
Poitras has also posted strong underlying numbers: The Bruins have controlled 54.1% of the shot attempts, 80% of the goals, 55.2% of the expected goals, and 62.9% of the expected goals with the rookie forward on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
"I'm the type of player who wants to hold onto pucks, make plays," Poitras said. "Part of my game is just being able to protect the puck well. ... (I'm) just building confidence every game."
Head coach Jim Montgomery said he's liked what he's seen from the Bruins' 2022 second-round pick.
"If you're going to produce in this league, you have to be willing to play inside the dots, and that's what I love about him," he said, per NHL.com's Dan Arritt. "Whether it's one-on-one battles in the corners or getting to the hard areas, he's willing to go to areas where you're going to have success."
Poitras' next chance to impress will come Tuesday in Chicago. The Ontario native bagged his first point in his NHL debut against the Blackhawks on Oct. 11.
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