Patrice Bergeron hasn't seen a ton of new teammate Hampus Lindholm over the years given that they've spent their careers on opposite coasts and faced each other just twice per season -- and zero times last year with the COVID-induced realignment and rescheduling.
When the Bruins did play the Ducks, though, Bergeron took notice of Lindholm. It would've been hard not to. Lindholm is 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, and saw plenty of Bergeron's line during his 14 career games against Boston.
On Wednesday, Lindholm practiced with the Bruins for the first time since being acquired in a blockbuster trade on Saturday and joined Bergeron to co-lead the end-of-practice team stretch. Afterwards, Bergeron explained what stands out to him about Lindholm and what makes him so hard to play against.
"His skating. I think he closes really fast on guys defensively," Bergeron said of Lindholm. "He doesn't work for no reason, meaning that he's always in good position. I think he's good on transition. It's not like I've played a lot against him, just seeing him twice a year, but from what I remember playing against him, you couldn't really sustain pressure in their zone. He was always finding a way to kind of poke the puck out or break out or get back on the offense by making a smart play. That's frustrating when you're playing against a guy like that."
Bergeron and Brad Marchand both called Lindholm shortly after the trade was completed (but before Lindholm signed his eight-year extension) to welcome him to the Bruins.
"The message was more just a welcome to him, and excited to have him, and that I liked his game," Bergeron said. "Especially at that time, I'm sure it's a crazy day for him and his family, so you're just trying to just make sure you give them the time to pack their bags and say bye to who they want to say bye to and all that stuff. But at the same time you want to welcome him in and make him feel like he's coming into a team that cares for each other, and if he needs anything I'm a call away to try to help him or direct him to the person he needs to get his answers."
Bergeron said that bringing in a player like Lindholm can definitely give the Bruins a boost as they head into the final month of the regular season and the playoffs.
"You always get a boost from the deadline, especially when you make a move and bring in a guy like Hampus that obviously solidifies our back end," Bergeron said. "He's still young, but he's got a lot of experience. He plays the game well. He's a really smart overall defenseman. It seems like a great fit so far. I met him yesterday. He was obviously with us today. It seems like he brings a lot of energy. Great player as well. Glad to have him. So yeah, I think as a team you do get a boost."
In many ways, Thursday night feels like the official start of that stretch run. The Bruins now know exactly what their team is, Lindholm will be making his Bruins debut, and they're facing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
Oh, and they could move ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings with a regulation win. While the Bruins are on a 12-2-1 run, the Lightning have hit a rough patch and lost five of their last seven games. The Bruins have climbed into a tie with Toronto for third in the Atlantic Division and sit just one point behind Tampa for second, although both of those teams do have a game in hand.
"It's great. It's nice to have that challenge in front of you, where you know it's there and you can work towards it and find ways to keep climbing," Bergeron said. "…It's been good. I think through the course of the year, we've climbed our way and created a pretty big hole behind us, from the teams that might not be making it. There was a big gap with Toronto and Tampa and Florida, and now it seems like you're getting closer and it's kind of nice to see. It's a nice challenge to have them in front of you and keep working towards them."
Bergeron, who has missed the last three games with an infection in his elbow that required surgery, could return Thursday night. He has an appointment Thursday morning and will find out then if he gets final clearance to return or if he'll be held out another game. He practiced in full on Wednesday, though, and coach Bruce Cassidy termed his return as "probable."
UPDATE: Bergeron did not get that final clearance on Thursday and will miss at least one more game.
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Lindholm was paired with Charlie McAvoy in practice Wednesday, and that is where he'll start out at least for Thursday's game. Matt Grzelcyk stayed with Brandon Carlo on the second pairing, while Derek Forbort, Mike Reilly and Connor Clifton rotated through on the third pairing. Cassidy said he will make a final decision about who plays and who sits of those three on Thursday, although it seems like Forbort is locked into one of the two spots. Jeremy Swayman will start in goal.
Here is the Bruins' expected lineup if Bergeron returns:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Mike Reilly/Connor Clifton
Jeremy Swayman
