PROVIDENCE, R.I. — After their 6-2 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets, it was the Bruins defensemen that received most of the scrutiny from both the media and the fans after the game. Much, if not all of the burden was placed on Matt Irwin in particular. He was a minus-3 on the night and two costly mistakes (a turnover behind the Bruins net and getting beat by Winnipeg’s Chris Thorburn) led to two Jets goals in the opening night rout.

It didn’t get much better for the UMass-Amherst product, as he finished with a minus-2 rating in the game against Montreal two nights later. As a result, Irwin was subsequently sent down to Providence to work on his game, a move that was a bit of a shock to the former San Jose Shark.

“Yeah I was a little surprised,” Irwin said of his demotion, “Things didn’t really go the way I wanted to [in Boston]. I just have to work hard down here and help this team win.”

Coming off a year in which he appeared in 53 games for the Sharks and registering 8-11-19 totals with a plus-3 rating, it’s understandable for Irwin to be frustrated with being sent down. However, the 27-year old native of Brentwood Bay, British Columbia is taking it all in stride and maintaining his focus on his in-game play.

“It’s been good [since being sent down], guys have been very welcoming [to me],” Irwin said

Things really have been pretty good for Irwin as of late. He currently leads all P-Bruins defenseman with five points (one goal, four assists) and 13 shots on goal.

Friday night against Lehigh Valley, Irwin undoubtedly took a step in the right direction in his quest to return to the NHL. Irwin scored his first goal of the season on the power-play 11:51 into the third. With Lehigh Valley’s Samuel Morin serving a double-minor for high-sticking, Irwin led the Baby B’s power-play unit (which had already scored twice in the game with the man-advantage) and kept the pressure on Lehigh Valley, constantly peppering goalie Jason LaBarbera.

When Phantoms forward Kevin Goumas retreated to the bench to retrieve a new stick, Irwin snuck in towards the slot and took a nice feed from Frank Vatrano in the corner. The veteran defenseman then fired a quick wrist shot past LaBarbera to put Providence up 4-3. The goal would hold up to be the game-winner as the Bruins notched a 5-3 win over the Phantoms.

With the exception of Colby Cave’s empty net goal, Irwin was actually on the ice for every Providence goal and led all players with five shots on the night. This, in addition with his strong play in the defensive zone, specifically in front of the net, Irwin was awarded the game’s first star.

Limiting his mistakes is something Irwin absolutely must do for him to crack the Parent Club’s lineup again. It was something that got him demoted earlier this month and it is exactly what Irwin has been working on since he arrived in Providence.

“I’ve just been working on my game everyday,” Irwin said after Friday’s win. “I think for me the emphasis is just working in the D-zone, learning where to go, where to be and moving the puck up to the forwards.”

No one can argue that Irwin has improved since his rough two games with Boston at the beginning of the season. His solid two-way play has him glimmering with confidence and if he can keep it up, Bruins fans should definitely expect to see Matt Irwin in the lineup sometime in the near future.