Over the last few weeks, the Boston Bruins have been one of the best teams in the NHL. They continued to receive reinforcements on Thursday afternoon as Hampus Lindholm made his Bruins debut. While the 28-year-old has only played two games in the black gold, he has fit in seamlessly. With the playoffs just around the corner, the trade deadline acquisition will be a critical piece to the Bruins’ success.
In Lindholm’s first game as a Bruin, he recorded two assists and attempted four shots. While playing alongside Charlie McAvoy, Lindholm did not miss a beat and landed four hits. As the Bruins faced a playoff-caliber team in Tampa Bay, the former first-round pick made an impact every time he was on the ice. Lindholm’s play also stood out to his new teammates, such as David Pastrnak.
“It was amazing. It’s obviously not easy to come to a new team. Usually, you would think it would take a couple of games to learn the system and the way our D’s playing overall, how’s the structure,” Pastrnak told reporters after the game. “But he was amazing and he’s a lot of fun to watch.”
During the Bruins 3-2 victory, Lindholm’s impact was on full display. He was able to create offensive and used his size to win battles. That continued on Saturday as the Swedish native showed why he was given an eight-year extension. While Lindholm did not factor into any of the Bruins’ goals, he had the third-highest ice time. As the Bruins improved to 14-2-1 in their last 17 games, their newest addition continued to make a difference.
Hampus Lindholm wins the puck under pressure and finds Haula. Haula throws a beautiful pass of the wall to Pastrnak. Pastrnak tucks. Lindholm's first point as a Bruin comes in game 1 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/MfqGhhxcuc
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) March 25, 2022
When Boston acquired Lindholm, the expectations were high. They did not only send the Ducks multiple picks but a young defenseman in Urho Vaakanainen. The former first-round pick has battled injuries throughout his career but showed some promising signs this season. Lindholm needed a change of scenery, and he has shown why he is held in high regard.
Already Making an Impact
Through two games, the Bruins have outscored opponents 4-1 when the McAvoy and Lindholm pairing is on the ice. They also hold 24-8 shots on goal and 41-21 shots attempts advantage. The new duo has not only limited scoring opportunities but also created them. It is a quality that the Bruins have lacked at times from the blueline this season and will be key in the playoffs. While Lindholm has a small sample size, his impact so far creates excitement for the future. He has come as advertised and made the transition to his new team seem easy. For the Bruins, they hope it is the start of an unforgettable run.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
