When the Boston Bruins signed Elias Lindholm to a seven-year deal on July 1, they were hoping that he would quickly find chemistry with star winger David Pastrnak and they would have the foundation of their new first line for years to come.
It didn’t happen. Lindholm got hurt on the first day of training camp and missed nine days of potentially valuable chemistry-building. The two were on different wavelengths to start the season. Former coach Jim Montgomery gave it as much time as he could, but ultimately needed to change course as the sluggish first line became emblematic of the whole team’s slow start.
It’s too late to mean anything for this lost season (the Bruins were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday), but maybe, just maybe, Pastrnak and Lindholm have finally found something.
Interim head coach Joe Sacco put them together, with Morgan Geekie on left wing, in the third period of Thursday’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens. While it wasn’t enough to jumpstart a comeback, that line did score, and the Bruins out-attempted the Habs 9-1 with them on the ice.
Sacco kept them together Saturday night, and they dominated against one of the best teams in the NHL, scoring all five Boston goals in a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes and snapping the Bruins’ 10-game losing streak in the process. Pastrnak recorded his 19th career hat trick and third career five-point game. Geekie notched his first career five-point game with a goal and four assists. All three of Pastrnak, Geekie and Lindholm finished plus-5.
“Plus-five, so that's always a good sign,” Sacco said. “We just thought that we needed to change some things up again. And I think what Lindy provides is, because of his experience playing away from the puck, is defensive awareness. It frees up the other guys again to play their game, and he takes on a little bit more responsibility away from the puck, defensively, making sure that he's the low guy on the right side of it. Plus, he goes to the net well, too. I think it was the second goal, he's standing right in front of the goaltender there while they're moving around in the offensive zone. We want to be sure that we have somebody there at the net. That's where he’s been lately, and that line needs that.”
They weren’t feasting on the bottom of Carolina’s lineup, either. All five goals came against the Hurricanes’ top defense pairing of Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns, and three of them came with top center Sebastian Aho on the ice as well. All of them were 5-on-5 goals.
Geekie opened the scoring late in the first period, taking a pass from Pastrnak in transition and beating Frederik Andersen from just inside the blue line (a shot that Andersen should have saved).
Less than a minute later, that line struck again. Pastrnak and Geekie executed a little give-and-go in the high slot, and then Pastrnak set up Lindholm right on top of the crease for the finish.
Midway through the second, they pushed the Bruins’ lead to 3-0. Lindholm and Geekie combined on the forecheck to free up the puck for Pastrnak, who did the rest by weaving across the front and beating Andersen on a low-angle turnaround shot.
Pastrnak scored his second of the game early in the third, finishing off a tip drill as Geekie’s flip towards the net deflected twice before Pastrnak batted it in.
He completed the hat trick with 4:42 left in the game, taking a pass from Geekie in transition and driving right to the net before tucking a forehand past Andersen.
Obviously, four periods of really good hockey from this line isn’t enough to make any bold proclamations about what it means for the future. But it’s at least something they and the Bruins can feel good about, at a time when there hasn’t been much of that over these last three-plus weeks.
Pastrnak now has 94 points on the season, giving him his fourth career 90-point season. Only four other Bruins have ever done that: Phil Esposito (7), Bobby Orr (6), Rick Middleton (5) and Ray Bourque (4). He also has his fifth career 40-goal season, joining Esposito (7) and Middleton (5) as the only Bruins to accomplish that feat.
Geekie now has his first career 50-point season, and he’s knocking on the door of his first career 30-goal season (he’s up to 28).
Those two have been rolling for a while, though. The guy this really has to feel good for is Lindholm, whose first season in Boston just has not been anywhere near as good as anyone wanted or expected.
Again, it’s too late for Lindholm to salvage this season as a whole. But if he can find something positive to cling to here, maybe that helps get the offseason started on the right foot. And if he can be a fit with Pastrnak for a few more games, maybe the Bruins can leave the door open for that combination next season, especially since it would seem unlikely that they’ll be able to add a bona fide No. 1 center this summer via free agency or trade (maybe they’ll draft one, but that kid won’t be ready to take over as an 18-year-old).
“It was fun to play tonight,” Lindholm said. “Obviously, [Pastrnak and Geekie] have some good chemistry there and find each other pretty well. So, it was fun to be a part of.”
For more Bruins coverage, tune in to Sunday Skate 9-11 a.m. with Scott McLaughlin, Andrew Raycroft and Bridgette Proulx. Listen on WEEI 93.7 FM, WEEI.com, or the free Audacy app.