Bruins Navigate Lindholm Injury with Poitras Call-Up and Line Shuffles
The Bruins are going to have to navigate at least the short term without their top centerman. Elias Lindholm is considered “day-to-day” with an upper-body injury, according to head coach Marco Sturm. But that status comes with a bit of a wait-and-see approach, as Lindholm was still scheduled to see doctors following the team’s morning skate on Thursday.
For now, the immediate effect is clear: Lindholm was ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Flyers, and that opened the door for 21-year-old Matt Poitras to make his return to the NHL lineup.
It’s been a winding road for Poitras this season. Once projected as a key piece in the Bruins’ top-six future, the young center has had to battle through a significant shoulder injury and adjust to a new defensive system under Sturm-a transition that hasn’t been seamless.
His preseason was rocky, and his start in Providence was slow to develop. But lately, there have been signs he’s turning the corner.
Poitras currently ranks sixth in scoring for the P-Bruins, posting 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 39 games, with a minus-4 rating. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, they do reflect a player finding his game again after a tough stretch.
At Thursday’s morning skate, Poitras was slotted between Marat Khusnutdinov and Mikey Eyssimont-a line that should offer a good mix of speed and two-way responsibility. Sturm’s message to the young center was simple: don’t overthink it.
“First of all, he’s just got to be himself,” Sturm said. “I don’t need to see anything special out of him.
I want to see him go up and down and play really good defensively. He’s going to play with a guy like Khus today, who is really good.
He’s going to have his back. But at the end of the day, he’s just got to play hockey.”
That defensive mindset is crucial, especially given the Bruins’ shift to a hybrid man/zone system this season-a system that gave Poitras trouble early on.
“Yeah, it was different,” Poitras admitted. “We’re playing a little bit of a different system down in Providence so it’s going to be a bit of adapting again tonight. It’ll be different, but I’ll be good.”
He also pointed to areas of growth, particularly in the faceoff circle, which could be key as he looks to earn more trust in the defensive zone.
“With the new D-zone, it’s been a bit different but I feel like I’ve gotten better in the faceoff circle in the D-zone. I want to bring that up here and just be simple and try to do anything to help the team win.”
Offensively, it’s been a grind. After a four-assist performance in just his second game of the season, Poitras went ten straight games without finding the back of the net. For a player who scored 17 goals in 40 games last year, that kind of drought can wear on your confidence.
“Obviously, there’s always a little bit of frustration. I see myself as an offensive guy,” he said.
“When the points weren’t coming, I felt like I was getting some chances. I don’t have as hot of a stick this year as I did last year, and yeah, there was some frustration.
But I had to stick with it.”
Lately, the production has started to return-he’s posted 2 goals and 2 assists over his last five games. More importantly, he’s finding his rhythm by keeping things simple.
“I’ve just been simplifying my game, trying to play fast and moving my feet,” Poitras said. “When I simplify my game, the other stuff takes care of itself.”
The Bruins could have gone with a safer, more experienced option like Patrick Brown-who leads Providence with 41 points in 39 games-but Sturm’s decision to bring up Poitras speaks volumes about the trust he still has in the young center.
“It’s been a long time ago (since training camp), but I remember he was a guy I really trust, especially in the middle,” Sturm said. “I’m not really worried about that, and so that’s why there was not really a hesitation to call him up.
Yes, he was playing better as of late in Providence, that’s one of the reasons. But on the other side, we needed a centerman and for me, he was the guy because I do trust him.”
While Poitras gets a chance to re-establish himself, another young forward is being handed a golden opportunity. Fraser Minten will center the top line between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie-a prime assignment for the 19-year-old.
“He showed it before. Mints is an easy one for me,” Sturm said.
“Guys like Geeks and David, they’re at a different level, too. Sometimes it’s hard to please everyone, but he’s another guy who nothing should really change in his game just because he’s playing with two great players.
Again, he’s done it before and there’s nothing really new for him.”
All eyes will be on how Minten handles the spotlight and whether Poitras can carry his recent momentum into the NHL. But there’s no sugarcoating the loss of Lindholm-he’s been a quietly vital piece of this Bruins team.
Lindholm ranks third in team scoring with 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points, and he's been a driving force on the Bruins’ fourth-ranked power play, contributing 6 goals and 17 assists with the man advantage. He’s also winning over 54% of his faceoffs, and his presence in the middle of the ice has made life easier for linemates like Pastrnak.
“I thought he’s in a good spot,” Sturm said. “I think that part of the reason David has been really good this year is him, because he kind of takes care of him in a lot of different ways.
But I also think he’s been really good on the power play. You just notice when he’s not there.
It starts with faceoffs. And he’s just a guy who’s always there in the middle of the ice.
That’s something that I always liked as a winger and even on the power play. I think that’s why guys enjoy playing with him.”
Meanwhile, the Bruins are also trying to shore up a penalty kill that’s slipped to 21st in the league rankings. A key power-play goal allowed to Nashville on Tuesday helped the Predators claw their way back into the game-a moment that highlighted the B’s recent struggles when shorthanded.
“First of all, our penalty kill is always better when we take less penalties. There’s the first step,” said Sean Kuraly.
“Second of all, I think it’s just getting back into our groove and feeling good about it again. Our goalies have been making good saves for us.
It’s just the small details of the penalty kill. We’ll get back to it.
What exactly it is is kind of the challenge, but we think we’re really clear about what our systems are, what our details are, and I think the last few, they’ve beaten us in all different ways. Hopefully, we’re covering all those bases.”
The Bruins are in a stretch where depth and adaptability are being put to the test. With Lindholm out, the spotlight shifts to the next wave-players like Poitras and Minten-who now have a chance to show they’re ready for the moment.