Had it not been for an 11-minute or so wait for an elevator down to ice level, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney probably would’ve been smiling ear to ear following Sunday’s preseason opener against the Rangers.

In the win column behind a 3-0 performance, just about everybody that the Bruins hoped would compete and push forward to challenge for an NHL roster spot did exactly that. And sure, it’s just one preseason game, and of course the Rangers didn’t exactly dress what you’d consider the reincarnation of the ’94 Rangers. (They did dress one-year Bruins standout Riley Nash and near-doppelnamer Ty Emberson, however, so that’s gotta count for something, right?)

But if Sweeney were a smilin’ man, and if the elevators worked like how elevators are supposed to work, it would’ve grown as a result of the Bruins getting what you would consider a must from the center position, and with two prospects in particular, as both Matt Poitras and Johnny Beecher came to play for a full 60-minute effort.

• Matthew Poitras nets the B's first preseason goal! pic.twitter.com/KkfHDrXwBX

  — NESN (@NESN) September 24, 2023

• On the board with a goal and a helper in the 3-0 win, the latest stride from Poitras has come with some increased hope that the B’s have indeed found a keeper when it comes to team’s future at the center position. Even if the Bruins themselves want to pump the brakes when it comes to the 5-foot-11 pivot.

  “He didn’t see the NHL tonight, you know?” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery offered after the win. “So it’s a really good start, but that’s what he needs to do, right? He played a really good game, he’s gonna get another game and if he keeps playing he’ll get rewarded and continue to get rewarded.”

  For Poitras, the challenge is a massive one, as the 19-year-old will have to make the Bruins out of training camp or report back to OHL Guelph for the 2023-24 season. Neither AHL Providence nor ECHL Maine is an option for the 2022 second-round pick. And in case you’re curious, the Bruins haven’t had an NHL-or-juniors player make it through training camp and crack the NHL roster since No. 2 overall pick Tyler Seguin in 2010, and Milan Lucic (2007) before him.

  “It’s a big challenge [to stick with the NHL club] because it’s a man’s league out there,” Montgomery said. “It’d be a pleasant surprise if he was able to do it.”

• 

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) celebrates a goal against the New York Rangers with defenseman Reilly Walsh (92) during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

• What’s fun about players like Poitras is that they truly don’t know any better in situations like this. They’re just playing the game, learning on the fly, and there’s always an element of playing with house money when you’re looking to simply force a team’s hand and make them keep you around.

  “There’s pressure and there’s nerves playing in your first game of this at this level, and at TD Garden, I’m kind of just looking around, it’s crazy,” Poitras admitted. “But it’s fun any time you step on the ice and play hockey.”

  That said, and even against a younger Ranger team, Poitras has already noticed the exhausting differences from a single shift in the OHL to a single shift in the NHL.

  “Obviously, the hits along the wall hurt a bit more and they drain your energy a bit more, so that’s the main thing I noticed,” Poitras noted. “But I felt good out there.”

  That physicality is something that Poitras is going to have to get used to, be it now or in the future when he’s officially NHL ready. The Bruins have stressed adding his own physicality when he can, and have really focused on the need for Poitras to be a complete player in their system, with strong support and body positioning in the D zone and improving his faceoff game (he went 7-for-12 at the dot in Sunday’s win).

  And those things will improve, but if there’s one thing the Bruins don’t have to worry about, it’s the young center’s willingness to battle for every inch of ice, even in the preseason.

  “I think the way he competes. He competes on draws, he competes for loose pucks, [and] he’s not timid at all in any area,” Montgomery said of what sticks out about Poitras’ game. “You know, there was one play in the second period where he dove down to win battle and he got low and he won that battle. And then he snuck in and drove by someone to take a hit. Could’ve taken a hit — he took a glimpse of a hit — and again, sign of an elusive player that they didn’t get a big piece of him. Those kind of plays show me his competitive fire and that he wants the puck.”

• 

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins center John Beecher (19) gathers the loose puck in front of Rangers defenseman Ty Emberson (39) and goalie Jonathan Quick (32) at TD Garden. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)

• Beecher, meanwhile, put forth the exact kind of he needs to if he’s going to crack this roster out of camp, as the 2019 first-round pick finished his 2023 preseason debut with a goal, two hits, two takeaways, and wins in seven of his 11 faceoffs in 15:42 of total time on ice in the victory.

  John Beecher 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/T1xg468IdP

  — NESN (@NESN) September 24, 2023

  One sequence that really stuck out to me: In the middle period and with a long change crushing their lungs, the Bruins were looking awfully gassed in their defensive zone when a Ranger corralled the puck behind the Boston net. Beecher came flying in, initiated body contact, and separated the Blueshirt from the puck and gained possession. These are the little details that’ll make a difference over a 60-minute game, and how Beecher will have to make a living should he crack Boston’s roster as a fourth-line center in 2023-24.

  “Yeah, I think [Beecher] had a good game,” Montgomery said. “He needs to continue to show it, right, throughout camp. I mean, that’s the thing. As camp goes on, it gets harder and the people that rise to the top are the ones that are gonna make it, so it’s a really good start for several players. They got to keep building on it.”

  Whether or not Beecher makes this team out of training camp will almost certainly come down to his performance at the faceoff dot, as the Bruins have a definite need for a lefty faceoff option to emerge. Nights like Sunday night, with a 64 percent success rate at the dot (and 67 percent in the defensive zone) will only help.

• Move it or lose it, get on the Bus(si)

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Brandon Bussi (30) makes the save against New York Rangers left wing Anton Blidh (25) during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

• Well, the Bruins just might have another potential find in net on their hands.

  In goal for the first game of the preseason, third-string netminder Brandon Bussi turned aside all 29 shots thrown his way Sunday night, and man oh man, did he earn that shutout. Like, it got downright silly at one point, and I couldn’t help but shake my head watching this dude fluster the Rangers into pure madness (NaturalStatTrick had him credited for 10 saves on 10 high-danger shots faced).

  His best highlight-reel save in a night full of ’em came in the third period, too, with a ridiculous glove save that earned the 25-year-old Bussi a standing ovation from the Garden crowd.

  What an absurd save by Brandon Bussi. pic.twitter.com/4niKXHOOyc

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 24, 2023

  Montgomery called the save “unreal.” And shared what he knew about Bussi from those who watched him closely down in Providence in what was a true breakout year for the first-year pro.

  “He started the year and they weren’t sure what they had but every time he went in net, and he kept making saves and saves and stole a lot of games last year for them down there in tight games,” Montgomery shared. “But we also heard the same thing, like, he wasn’t a highly recruited player until his last year of junior and then he went to Western Michigan, wasn’t there very long. He’s a late bloomer and just keeps getting better.”

  One thing that’s really impressed me about Bussi is his ability to get real, real low and still navigate and see through traffic. His timing and reflexes from that position were fantastic, and it was incredible to see multiple instances of that down-and-low tracking leading to challenging saves looking downright easy. Getting that low with such ease for a goalie that size is pretty remarkable, and it reminds me a bit of in-prime Jonathan Quick. (This isn’t to say that Bussi is the next Quick, so please relax before you start screaming at me like a goblin.)

  Bussi is unlikely to unseat either Jeremy Swayman or Linus Ullmark given that tandem’s effectiveness, but it’ll be interesting to see if and when the Bruins give Bussi an NHL look in 2023-24.

• The fight continues for A.J. Greer

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) fights New York Rangers defenseman Ben Harpur (5) during the third period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

• It was this time last year that A.J. Greer scratched, clawed, and fought his way into an NHL roster spot, and the truth is that he’s probably going to have to do it again. And the fight may be even more intense this time around given the in-house competition, which may have explained why Greer was willing to take on a fight with the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Ben Harpur in the waning moments of Sunday’s victory at TD Garden.

  Ben Harpur vs A.J. Greer👊
  
  pic.twitter.com/nRCCD9MJyy

  — Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) September 25, 2023

  The willingness to go will not unnoticed in that locker room, and adds to Greer’s value.

  Beyond the beating he took, complete with Greer playing the part of Headless Horseman with his jersey over his head, Greer finished the night with an efficient stat line, with four hits, two blocked shots, and a penalty drawn in 16:06 of time on ice. Greer also logged a forward-high four minutes of shorthanded time on ice.

  Whether or not Greer makes this time out of camp will be a fascinating watch, as he’s by all means behind Milan Lucic in the race for fourth-line left wing. Greer also doesn’t play center, which could hurt his value as a 13th forward compared to somebody such as Patrick Brown.

  But if Sunday told us anything, it’s that Greer’s motor is going to make him hard to hold down.

• More thoughts, notes, and nonsense

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The scoreboard at TD Garden announces a 45 minute delay for a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

• – While guys like Poitras and Beecher were popping off the screen, it was a relatively quiet night from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell. Deployed for 16:53 of time on ice, Lysell finished the night with three shots on goal (the best look coming in the third period) and one penalty. Given that he wasn’t on the power play or penalty kill, Lysell got a bit lost in the shuffle in a night that saw the Bruins go to the kill five times (including three second-period penalty kills), but Montgomery liked his third period.

  – No points to show for it, but a solid night for Anthony Richard in my opinion.  The winger was all over the ic and seemed to be a thorn in the side of the Ranger blue line throughout the night. He could be an interesting name to watch as a ‘first man up’ candidate given his solid AHL (and NHL) production with the Canadiens organization a year ago.

  – Quick shoutout to TD Garden for playing “True Believers” by The Bouncing Souls during a stoppage during Sunday’s game. I have to think that’s the first time I’ve heard that song there. Who among us hasn’t lived our life in our own way and never really listened to what they say? 

  – A bit curious that the Bruins didn’t dress Danton Heinen or Alex Chiasson, both of whom are with the Bruins on pro tryouts this camp, for this game. With ‘PTO’ players, coaches often feel the need to give them as many games as possible to give them what they consider to be a fair shot at making the team, and Montgomery alluded to that when I asked about it this past weekend. To the surprise of nobody, both players are expected to be in the lineup Tuesday night in Buffalo.

  – I’m convinced this is, like, the fourth season in a row where the MBTA is dealing with some sort of nonsense when it comes to getting Bruins fans to North Station in a normal manner. This is a nightmare.

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