Matthew Poitras has been at the AHL level for just over a month now, but he’s making it hard for the Boston Bruins to ignore him.
The skillful forward has been on a highly impressive offensive tear, one which he continued Wednesday night for Providence against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Poitras extended his incredible goal-scoring streak to seven games in the overtime loss.
Poitras didn’t wait all night to keep his streak alive. He found the back of the net with 1:10 left in the first period as he one-timed a shot for a power-play goal.
Poitras is now up to seven goals and eight assists for 15 points this season with Providence. His stellar play of late begs the question of whether the Bruins should call him up, especially with Boston’s offense, which ranks seventh-to-last in the NHL in goals per game, looking for a consistent scoring punch.
It’s not a simple transaction, though. The Bruins would have to clear a roster spot for Poitras and that’s not an easy decision. Eyes immediately shift to Poitras replacing Marc McLaughlin, but he’s played well as of late on the fourth line with two goals in his last two games.
There’s also the Oliver Wahlstrom factor to consider. The Bruins claimed the 24-year-old forward off waivers from the New York Islanders on Saturday and interim head coach Joe Sacco said he wants to give Wahlstrom a solid opportunity to make an impact. Wahlstrom has yet to appear in the lineup since joining the Bruins.
That might put Poitras, who played 14 games for Boston this season and registered one goal and three assists, in a holding pattern as he awaits his chance to rejoin the Bruins. They surely will want to give the 20-year-old adequate playing time when he gets back to the NHL.
But for the time being, Poitras can continue to develop with Providence and see just how high his goal streak can go.
