Elias Lindholm’s two-way skill put on display in Bruins’ overtime win over Flames
"I thought his checking skills, his stick, escaping, and then getting into Marchy right away? Big-time play."
It wasn’t Elias Lindholm who jammed a rebound past Dustin Wolf with 20 seconds to go in overtime.
The Bruins’ top free-agent pickup wasn’t one of the three stars honored on the ice after the Bruins’ 4-3 win over the Flames.
All things being equal, the 29-year-old pivot’s final stat line didn’t leap off the page: 18:13 of ice time, one assist, and a 44 percent showing at the faceoff dot.
But that one helper in the extra frame — and the sequence of plays that led to that assist — showcased exactly why the Bruins handed Lindholm a $54.25 million contract over the summer.
With just 26.2 seconds left in overtime, Lindholm lined up for an offensive-zone faceoff against Mikael Backlund. Backlund knocked the puck behind him, allowing Calgary blueliner Rasmus Andersson to shield the biscuit behind the net.
A sturdy D-man like Andersson had several options available as he corralled the offering along the end boards. As Nazem Kadri glided toward the blue line, he could have fed the puck over to the center in hopes of one last scoring bid against Joonas Korpisalo before time expired.
Or Andersson could have just let the clock drain out, allowing both teams to catch their breath and roll the dice in a shootout.
Neither scenario played out, not with Lindholm closing in on the Calgary puck carrier.
Despite losing the faceoff, Lindholm immediately skated ahead toward Andersson — lifting his stick while pinning him against the boards. By the time Andersson separated himself in an attempt to regain control of the puck, Lindholm had already fired it toward a lurking Marchand at the crease.
“And the rest is history,” Marchand noted.
Lindholm’s efforts were welcomed — especially in the midst of a season where both he and the Bruins have struggled with consistently generating offense.
While it might have been asking a lot for Lindholm to replicate the 42-goal, 82-point campaign he submitted with the Flames in 2021-22, his playmaking poise and hockey IQ painted the picture of a player capable of driving play and netting 60+ points.
After opening the year with two goals and five points over his first three games, Lindholm found himself mired in a seven-game scoring drought from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29. A disjointed connection between him and David Pastrnak has further complicated matters in his first season with Boston.
But things have rebounded as of late for Lindholm, who has now recorded four assists in his last five outings. While his offensive ceiling might be lowered the longer he skates on a line sans Pastrnak, Lindholm has started to develop a strong rapport with a similar two-way, dogged skater in Marchand.
“He’s a very, very smart player. Reads the ice very well, makes a lot of really good plays,” Marchand said of skating with Lindholm. “I definitely think that we’re starting to understand where each other goes. Always room for improvement.
“So the more practice you get and reps you get together, the more we’ll build it. But again, the way [Jim Montgomery] coaches, he changes lines a lot. So he could change it at any point, but you’re always trying to find chemistry as quick as you can with your linemates.”
For now, Montgomery and Boston’s coaching staff might want to keep this current top-six grouping in place.
Beyond the budding chemistry between Marchand and Lindholm, shifting Pavel Zacha back to center led to results on a forward grouping with David Pastrnak and Tyler Johnson.
Zacha tallied his first 5-on-5 goal of the season, while Pastrnak added a pair of assists as Boston’s top forward continues to try and find some traction in the offensive zone.
The Bruins’ offense remains a work in progress. Even with three 5-on-5 tallies against Calgary, Boston is still 25th in the league in 5-on-5 goals (22 over 15 games), while their power play is now 30th overall with a 12.9 percent success rate.
But Montgomery believes that Lindholm’s puck-pursuit habits and motor offer a template that Boston should follow when it comes to generating high-danger looks.
“We always talk about … our puck pressure really determines getting opportunities to score, and that was a great example of it,” Montgomery said of Lindholm’s overtime. “I thought his checking skills, his stick, escaping, and then getting into Marchy right away? Big-time play.”
The Bruins still have plenty of work to do when it comes to getting back on track and clawing themselves out of a months-long malaise. A confident and engaged Lindholm should aid them in those efforts.
“Just instincts, being hard on the puck. … And that’s huge right there, breaks up a play, pins the guy on the boards, gives it to Brad for a chance and then the rebound,” Charlie Coyle said of Lindholm. “Just a heck of a play. That’s why he’s a pretty good player.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com