One positive of the Boston Bruins opting to go with veterans over the prospects in their bottom six was that the Providence team had a chance to be something special this season. Those predictions have been accurate so far this season, as Providence sits at 13-3-0, one point behind the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for first in the Atlantic Division.
The offense has been a bright spot, with four players in the double digits for scoring. Alex Steeves and Matej Blumel's recent recalls have them falling down the scoring race a bit, but Blumel was at a point-per-game pace before he joined Boston, and Steeves had eight points in nine games. Fabian Lysell is also near a point-per-game pace, while Patrick Brown and Riley Tufte lead the way. Georgii Merkulov and Dans Locmelis round out the top seven with 11 and eight points, respectively.
One player I haven't mentioned is Matthew Poitras, who has just one goal and seven assists in 16 games. While the stat doesn't paint the whole picture, he is also one of only four players on the roster with a minus rating, something that isn't easy to do when your team is 13-3-0. I dug into the numbers, hoping that the lack of production had something to do with a lack of opportunity or something of that nature, but it looks like Providence is sticking by one of the Bruins' top center prospects.
Matthew Poitras' struggles are concerning during Providence Bruins' hot start
Poitras is averaging over 17 minutes of ice time per game, with exactly 3:00 averaged on the power play. He is also getting his opportunities to score, averaging nearly three shots per game. Poitras has never had a shot that can straight-up beat goaltenders, and averaging three shots per game but only having one goal is a representation of that as much as it is poor shooting luck.
One positive in his AHL stats is that he is dominating at the faceoff circle. It isn't a massive shock, after all his NHL experience, that the nuances he learned have him beating AHL talent, but it is something the Bruins could at least use at the NHL level.
However, the Bruins didn't draft him to one day take over John Beecher's former role as a faceoff/penalty kill specialist. Poitras' money will be made with his offensive abilities, and right now, he is falling further down the depth chart in that regard.
The Providence staff continues to give him opportunities since it is a development league after all, but sooner or later, they're going to start doing what's best for the team. If Poitras isn't performing in his over 17 minutes of ice time per game, he isn't going to get that responsibility.