The Bruins have turned a manageable road swing into something much bigger. What started as a four-game trip with three stops in California and a finale against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night in Texas already looks like a strong one after Boston swept the Sharks, Ducks, and Kings.
Getting four of eight points would have been respectable. Taking all three in California has changed the tone entirely.
Elias Lindholm has been one of the quieter reasons why. After sliding from the top line down to the third line, he’s still found ways to make an impact.
He scored on the power play against the Ducks and then put the game away with an empty-net goal against the Kings. After that win, he offered a positive update on where he stands physically this season.
“It feels good [to be playing well],” said Lindholm, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. “I think it’s the first time in a long time my body feels good.
I think for quite some time it’s been always something, I feel like. My body feels great, so it feels good.”
For now, the Bruins are getting a healthy version of Lindholm, and the production is showing up with it. The bigger question is how long that can last.
Marco Sturm also made one of the more surprising lineup calls of the trip in Los Angeles, scratching Nikita Zadorov and inserting Jonathan Aspirot. It was a clear message to Zadorov after a season that has included undisciplined play and too many trips to the penalty box.
Aspirot made the most of the chance. In his first game action in 14 days, he logged just under 18 minutes, recorded five hits, and blocked three shots. Sturm didn’t hide his approval afterward.
“It’s not easy to be out that long. I thought he was outstanding today,” Sturm said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com.
“He was blocking shots, he was aggressive, he was mean, he won a lot of battles. He was excellent.”
Zadorov should be back in the lineup against the Stars, but the scratch has already said plenty.
With the Bruins winning seven of their first nine games and riding a five-game winning streak, the numbers are piling up fast. Some of them are eye-catching enough to stand on their own.
In Other News...
Bruins Just Turned A Zadorov Scratch Into A Bigger Problem
Nikita Zadorovs night on the bench against the Kings was already notable because it came after a double-minor penalty in the previous game against Anaheim, and Bruins coach Marco Sturm made it clear the decision was about discipline as much as anything else. For a team trying to keep its footing, a healthy scratch for a veteran defenseman is never just a routine lineup call, especially when it follows a lapse that drew attention in the first place.
The situation got more awkward when a social media exchange involving Zadorovs agent and a fan started feeding speculation about where things might be headed next. No formal trade talks have been reported, but the chatter added another layer to a story that began with one bad penalty and has now turned into something bigger for Boston to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Roster Crunch Is Turning One Forward Into Trade Bait
Matthew Poitras being cleared to play has only tightened the squeeze on Bostons forward group, and the Bruins responded by placing Mikey Eyssimont on waivers and sending him to Providence. It is the kind of roster move that says as much about logjams as it does about performance, because Eyssimont has been productive in the AHL and still found himself on the outside looking in when the Bruins had to make room.
The problem for Boston is that there is simply no easy path back into the lineup right now, even with Eyssimont doing enough in Providence to keep his name in the conversation. When a player is producing down below but has no obvious opening upstairs, that is often where trade chatter starts to build, and the Bruins appear to be there now with a depth piece who may be more valuable as an asset than as a spare forward on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Have A Matt Poitras Problem They Might Welcome
Matt Poitras has gone from a low-profile one-year, two-way signing to a player the Bruins have found ways to fit into the lineup almost immediately. After getting past a lower-body injury, the young forward has suited up for six games and chipped in five points, enough to draw steady praise from coach Marco Sturm for handling his assignments and taking advantage of the openings created by injuries around him.
The bigger wrinkle for Boston is what happens when the lineup gets healthier. Sean Kuraly was scratched while Poitras kept earning looks higher up the board, and Kuraly has since been preparing to return, which only tightens the competition for ice time. For a team trying to sort out its depth on the fly, Poitras has given the Bruins a useful problem, even if it is one they may have to solve sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]