Bruce Cassidy, David Pastrnak Assess Hampus Lindholm’s Bruins Debut

The Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Thursday in a thrilling victory.

The game also marked defenseman Hampus Lindholm’s first match with the Black and Gold since he was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks. On the first Bruins goal of the game, Lindholm collected his first assist with the team.

After the win, head coach Bruce Cassidy commented on his initial impression of the defenseman.

“I think he was actually a better puck mover in small areas than I anticipated,” Cassidy said in a team-provided video. “Thinking more about the size, the mobility, the ability to close plays, get his shot through on the offensive blue line. He made a lot of small area plays on the breakout that’s going to benefit this hockey club.”

His new teammate David Pastrnak — who had a productive day himself with a hat trick — chimed in as well.

“He was nasty, he was amazing,” Pastrnak said in a team-provided video. “It’s obviously not easy to come to a new team. You would think it would take a couple of games to learn the system and the way our defensemen are playing and the overall structure. I thought he was amazing and a lot of fun to watch so it’s really exciting to have him. He’s a great guy, I know him a little bit from Sweden so we’re really happy to have him.”

Lindholm is a welcome addition to the Bruins and appears to be having a blast so far.