Hampus Lindholm has proved a pretty good fit with the Bruins, to say the least.
Since joining Boston from the Anaheim Ducks before the trade deadline, Lindholm has been impressive through his first two games with the club. After logging an assist in his Bruins debut Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning — and earning brownie points from Bruins fans for shouting them out in a postgame press conference — Lindholm showcased his defensive prowess Saturday in a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders.
His new teammate Taylor Hall — who himself had a huge afternoon with one goal and two assists — praised Lindholm after the win, noting he makes the offense want to play better.
“With Lindholm, you see the first two games, he’s always looking to make a play,” Hall said following Saturday’s win, per a team-provided video. “And some of those little plays, breaking pucks up, taking a hit to make a play, jumping up in the rush, those are invaluable. Especially when you’re out there with that pair, you see (Charlie McAvoy) and (Lindholm) out, it’s time to make plays, it’s time to play in the o-zone and see what you can make happen.”
Hall also said he thinks Lindholm, who signed an eight-year contract extension shortly after arriving in Boston, is an off-ice fit with the club as well.
“Just his personality I think really fits with our team,” he said. “He’s excited to be here. Having a contract, I think that makes him feel probably a bit better than most deadline trades. When you come in here and you know you’re going to be here for a long time, that’s great for him and I think he’s only going to get better and better.”
Hall isn’t the first to pile on the praise for Lindholm. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and teammate David Pastrnak did so following his debut Thursday.
