The Bruins and Hurricanes delivered another intense chapter in their rivalry on Tuesday night, but one sequence stood out above all else, and not in the way Boston fans would have hoped.
Matthew Poitras found himself with what may have been the most can't-miss opportunity of the entire NHL season so far. The kind of chance when everyone watching instinctively starts celebrating before the puck even hits the net.
Except it hit the post…
Poitras somehow failed to convert on the golden opportunity, leaving fans and commentators alike stunned that he could not bury it. The play immediately went viral on social media, with hockey fans calling it the most mind-blowing miss of the young season.
What made it even more painful for the Bruins was what happened next. Carolina's Sebastian Aho, never one to let an opponent off the hook, promptly went the other way and found the back of the net. The gut-punch sequence was the kind of momentum swing that can define a game.
The miss-then-goal combination drew a massive reaction online, with clips circulating rapidly across hockey social media. Pete Blackburn and other hockey commentators shared the sequence, which quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the night.
For Poitras, it was a rough moment in what has been an important early stretch of the season for the young Bruins forward. Those are the plays that stick with a player, especially when the opposition capitalizes immediately on the other end.
Let's hope Poitras can shake off the miss and move forward, but Bruins fans may need a little more time before they can watch that replay without wincing.
