A loss to the San Jose Sharks, the worst team in the NHL, would have felt like the kind of thing that just about guarantees the “retool” that Bruins president Cam Neely admitted was a possibility last week. There would have been no clearer sign that it was time to think more about the future than the present, a shift that in theory would mean more NHL ice time getting allocated to young players.
Maybe Boston should be giving the kids more ice time even as the team tries to stay focused on the present for the time being. Because the Bruins were staring down said loss as they entered the third period trailing 3-2 Monday afternoon, and it was two of those youths – Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei – playing in elevated roles who helped lead the comeback as Boston turned the game around and ultimately came away with a 6-3 victory.
Interim head coach Joe Sacco moved Poitras up to the second line between Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle on Monday, dropping Elias Lindholm to the third line in the process. After a little bit of a slow start to the game for that trio, they came roaring to life in the third period and scored the tying and winning goals.
They pinned the Sharks deep in their own zone for a full shift on the first of those two goals, culminating in Poitras setting up Coyle in the slot with a nice backhand feed.
Lohrei was part of that offensive-zone cycle as well, although he didn’t pick up a point. He did assist on the next goal, though, as it was Lohrei who led the breakout and transition through the neutral zone before leaving the puck for Poitras to pick. Poitras carried into the offensive zone before dishing over to Coyle, who scored his second of the game by banking a centering pass off Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov and in.
Poitras now has three assists in three games since coming back up from Providence. He clearly brings some pace and skill in transition that the Bruins lack, even if other areas of his game still need some refinement. Neely said the key question when it comes to playing young players more is whether they’re “outscoring your mistakes.” Well, Poitras is a plus-2 since being recalled, so he certainly has so far.
“I think with Matty, we were looking for someone to help transport the puck through the neutral zone,” Sacco said postgame. “And on their goal, he did that. … Somebody to help carry the puck through the neutral zone with some speed and some pace, I think helps his flanks a lot. That’s what we’re really looking for. And defensively, Matty was good tonight. He did a good job in his own zone.”
Lohrei has not always outscored his mistakes this season. He has been worst or second-worst on the team in plus/minus pretty much all year. But both the offense and the defense have picked up recently, all while taking on more minutes with Charlie McAvoy out of the lineup. He now has six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in the last five games, with a plus-4 rating in that time. He played a season-high 23:26 on Monday, which led the team.
In addition to his 5-on-5 contributions – the Bruins outscored the Sharks 3-0 and outshot them 14-6 when he was on the ice – Lohrei also helped Boston’s top power-play unit look the best it’s looked in a long time. The Bruins scored on their first power play of the day, with Lohrei starting the rush that led to a David Pastrnak finish at the other end.
They didn’t score on their second, but they did spend the entire two minutes in the offensive zone and got several good chances, with Lohrei active and decisive as the quarterback the whole time. It was the kind of power-play quarterbacking the Bruins just haven’t gotten nearly enough of from McAvoy this season, raising the question of whether Sacco will be bold enough to keep Lohrei there even when McAvoy returns from his upper-body injury.
“I thought it was a good game by Mason,” Sacco said. “He was more direct tonight. I don’t think he tried plays sometimes that aren’t there, forcing the issue at times. Usually the more minutes you play, the better you’ve played during the game.”
Playing Poitras and Lohrei more, or calling up Fabian Lysell and/or Georgii Merkulov next, doesn’t have to be a sign that the Bruins are giving up on the season. Maybe, just maybe, it can actually help them salvage this season. It helped them get a comeback win Monday, one that jumped them over Montreal and Columbus in the standings and back into a playoff spot.