Hampus Lindholm saw David Pastrnak ramping up his pace as he skated down the wing, and in that moment knew the Boston Bruins star forward had a chance to creep behind the Toronto Maple Leafs' defense.
"I've played with him (Pastrnak) for a long enough time to know that I can see when he swings like that," Lindholm told reporters after Boston's 2-1 overtime win in Game 7 at TD Garden on Saturday night, per Boston.com's Conor Roche.
"And I know (the Leafs) doing like three across there, so it's try to get it behind them and I got a good bounce there and obviously Pasta did his magic."
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Lindholm's perfectly placed pass, which he dumped into Toronto's zone from the red line, ricocheted off the sideboards and jumped right to Pastrnak's stick. Pastrnak did the rest as his forehand-backhand combination ultimately beat Ilya Samsonov. And while it was the goal that ultimately sent TD Garden into a frenzy, Lindholm’s heads-up helper shouldn’t be overlooked.
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"Yeah, I saw him swinging so obviously it was purposed that I -- I was hoping the kick out would get to him there," Lindholm told reporters. "Then the way he handles that puck and puts it over the pad, that's a few guys that can do that."
Pastrnak was well-deserving of the game puck, presented by Bruins captain Brad Marchand. But Lindholm earned a shoutout from Marchand and head coach Jim Montgomery after his two-point night, which also included the game-tying goal in the third period.
The Lindholm-Pastrnak connection helped Boston claim the victory in the best-of-seven series and earn a date with the Florida Panthers. The Black and Gold begin their series in Sunrise, Fla. on Monday night.
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Featured image via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
