As he was skating through center ice after the puck on Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins forward Matthew Poitras was hit in the face with an elbow from Braeden Bowman.
Poitras went right down to the ice and stayed as the referees blew their whistles. Poitras got and was bleeding from his nose and went down the runway to the Black and Gold locker room. After the referees huddled, they gave Bowman a five-minute major and game misconduct, which was confirmed by replay.
Morgan Geekie went on to score a power-play goal in the Bruins' 3-2 shootout win to improve their record to 11-4-1. Poitras returned to the bench in the second period with a bubble over his face, but didn't take another shift. He missed practice on Tuesday with a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, second-year head coach Marco Sturm has a promising update on his fourth-line center.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm gives positive Matthew Poitras injury update
Poitras practiced on Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena and was the extra forward on the line rushes, according to Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. Sean Kuraly was centering the fourth line with Mark Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot. After practice, Sturm provided an update and the possibility that Poitras plays on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road, per BostonBruins.com.
"We’ll see,” said Sturm. “I mean, he stayed out there for the whole practice, so I guess it’s a good thing. And [we’ll] see how it is tomorrow and go from there.”
Poitras confirmed to the media that he had a broken nose, and that really shouldn't come as a surprise given the hit and how it happened.
Broken nose for Matt Poitras. Not necessarily a surprise. pic.twitter.com/n0kExJ4YfM
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) November 4, 2026
As far as playing goes, it sounds like that will at least be a decision made after the morning skate in Pittsburgh, or he'll be a game-time decision. The Bruins will likely play it safe with the second-round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft nd if there are any questions about his injury, they'll take all the precautions, especially with Kuraly available and waiting patiently to get back in the lineup.
Poitras has been a pleasant surprise this season. In 12 games after beginning the season on injured reserve, he has four goals and three assists, being part of the youth movement with forward Fraser Minten and James Hagens. Poitras is averaging just 9:33 a night, but has won 58% of his faceoffs this season. As far as the Penguins game goes, it'll be an interesting decision as to whether or not he plays.
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