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Hampus Lindholm to return to Bruins lineup Tuesday, Mason Lohrei a healthy scratch
Lindholm had missed eight of Boston's last nine games due to a lower-body injury.
The Bruins’ beleaguered blue line is receiving some reinforcements on Tuesday.
Ahead of puck drop against the Islanders at TD Garden, the Bruins announced that defenseman Hampus Lindholm has been activated off of injured reserve.
To make room for Lindholm on the roster, the Bruins assigned defenseman Michael Callahan back to Providence.
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm confirmed Tuesday that Lindholm will return to Boston’s lineup against New York, with Mason Lohrei set to be a healthy scratch. Defenseman Jonathan Aspirot will also slot into the lineup and make his NHL debut.
Tuesday stands as Lindholm’s first game since Oct. 18, and just his fourth game overall this season.
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“He’s a really good defenseman,” Sturm said of Lindholm. “We saw it when he was in the lineup. We missed him, but again, there’s no excuse for [our defensive struggles]. So we’re just excited to have him back.”
Lindholm was originally placed on IR Sunday, but the 31-year-old blueliner was eligible to return to game action at any point, given that his IR designation was retroactive to when the injury first occurred (Oct. 9).
Lindholm hasn’t been able to settle into a groove so far this season after going down with a lower-body injury during Boston’s home opener against Chicago.
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After that victory over the Blackhawks, Sturm deemed the injury as “minor” and unrelated to the fractured patella that limited the veteran to just 17 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
But, after returning to the ice in Boston’s 4-1 loss to the Avalanche on Oct. 18, Lindholm missed the next five games — and eight of the last nine games overall for the Bruins.
In three total games for Boston, Lindholm has posted a minus-3 rating with six blocks over 45 minutes of ice time.
Lindhom’s absence has been felt on a Bruins D corps that has routinely taken on water this fall.
Following Monday’s 7-2 loss to the Senators, the Bruins rank 29th in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 3.82 and 32nd in shot attempts allowed at 5-on-5 play.
Some of those defensive breakdowns are the reason why Sturm and the Bruins opted to give Lohrei a breather on Tuesday. In Lohrei’s 174:55 of 5-on-5 ice time so far this season, opponents have scored 10 goals while holding a 49-29 advantage in high-danger scoring chances.
“The biggest thing for him … and I did it with Casey [Mittelstadt], too. I think once in a while, it’s good to scratch a player like that,” Sturm explained. “We expect more from him, and sometimes we have to press that reset button.
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“And it’s not like we want to bury him. No, I want to help him, and that’s part of the process. Again, you get some good things, but too many mistakes lately, and that’s why we give Aspirot the chance today.”
Aspirot, 26, was one of the final cuts during training camp for Boston. The Quebec native has posted three points (one goal, two assists) in five games with Providence so far this season.
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