After an eventful week, Bruins’ Lindholm has ‘so much to be grateful for’
Boston Bruins
“I am tremendous grateful and it’s good to be wholesome.”
Hampus Lindholm has a lot to smile about today.
The Bruins defenseman and his fiancée, Amanda, welcomed their first baby, Magnolia, final week.
“My fiancée — her household … they work with vegetation and flowers and stuff, and that’s at all times been her favourite tree,” Lindholm stated of the that means behind his daughter’s title. “And shaggy dog story — randomly, we ended up getting engaged beneath a magnolia tree. … I like the title, and it’s truly been sticking since we knew we had been having a lady. So it feels proper.”
Up to now, the 31-year-old blueliner hasn’t had too many sleepless nights — even when he expects that to vary briefly order. All appears to be going nicely for Lindholm, who additionally returned to Boston’s lineup final week after being hampered by a lower-body harm.
“She slept nice final night time,” Lindholm stated after Monday’s follow at Warrior Ice Area. “I don’t know what I’ve carried out to deserve that, nevertheless it’s been nice. … I’m tremendous grateful and it’s good to be wholesome and be on the market and play with the fellows, too. I feel I’ve acquired so much to be grateful for proper now.”
The Bruins have echoed the same sentiment to Lindholm over the previous couple of days in terms of thankfulness.
With the defenseman now again in Boston’s lineup, it ought to come as little shock that the Bruins’ porous defensive construction has tightened up — and the group is beginning to stack some wins.
Up to now this season, the Bruins are 5-1-0 when Lindholm has taken to the ice, giving up 2.3 targets per recreation.
Within the eight video games the place Lindholm was sidelined with a lower-body harm first sustained in Boston’s dwelling opener, the Bruins went 2-6-0 whereas coughing up 4.25 targets per contest.
For Bruins head coach Marco Sturm, it doesn’t take a lot to note the correlation between Lindholm’s availability and the group’s general success.
“Let’s begin within the room first. Since you guys solely see what he brings on the ice. I see each,” Sturm stated Monday of Lindholm’s influence. “I see what he brings within the room, simply his presence alone. He’s not shy. He talks so much within the room.
“He’s serving to everybody in and out a optimistic means. After which on the ice — not only for his accomplice, however general, he brings a sure calmness in our group. In fact, he’s been round for a little bit bit. That helps. I feel we talked about it the opposite day — our report with him within the lineup is fairly rattling good. So there have to be a motive.”
Whereas Lindholm has solely recorded one level to date by means of six video games this season, his potential to snuff out scoring probabilities, ship clear passes out of the D zone, and ferry pucks by means of the impartial zone has allowed the Bruins defensive construction to breathe a bit simpler today.
Whereas the Bruins have been outscored, 4-2, in Lindholm’s 79:55 of 5-on-5 ice time this season, the veteran has additionally been handed a heaping portion of taxing D-zone shifts and daunting matchups — with solely Jonathan Aspirot (29.4) having a decrease offensive-zone faceoff share than Lindholm (30.6).
With Lindholm again within the lineup and anchoring a second pair subsequent to Andrew Peeke, Sturm and his workers even have the luxurious of placing collectively a high defensive duo of Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov, who’ve dominated since getting put collectively final week.
Because the Bruins soldier on with out Elias Lindholm, who Sturm deemed as “week-to-week” transferring ahead after struggling a lower-body harm final week towards Buffalo, Boston’s bench boss made one factor clear.
The grinding method that Boston adopted in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Hurricanes needs to be the technique that his group should perform this season as a way to accrue factors.
It’s an method that turns into simpler to undertake when a wholesome Hampus Lindholm is main the cost from the blue line.
“In case you take a look at our lineup, if we take a look at our roster, that is all the pieces,” Sturm stated of Boston’s defensive buy-in. “We’re not — once more — we’re not elite [offensively], however we’ve some weapons. Now we have some grinders. We’re a very good combine, however we should be structured, and we want everybody to purchase in. Completely.
“And you may see it within the final recreation. In case you don’t try this, I feel you’re simply not going to outlive, not simply towards Carolina, however on this league, just about. So we’ve to play that type of method to to have success. That’s simply what I imagine.”
Join the At the moment e-newsletter
Get all the pieces it is advisable to know to start out your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
