By: Julia Simone | Follow me on Twitter / X @j_simone40
The Boston Bruins have been without defenseman Hampus Lindholm since early November. He went down after blocking a shot on November 12th against the St. Louis Blues and suffered a lower-body injury. He was on pace to have a great season. Through 16 games, he scored three goals and posted seven total points. Since November 12th, the Bruins have turned the puck over 444 times. B’s defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Charlie McAvoy have turned the puck over the most in the Bruin’s zone.
Lindholm’s absence hurts the Bruins in several ways. One of the most important pieces is his ability to log heavy minutes. Before his injury, he was averaging almost 21 minutes of ice time per game. He logged the second most ice time for the Bruins’ defense behind Charlie McAvoy, who is averaging almost 24 minutes per game.
The Helsingborg, Sweden native is also being sorely missed on special teams, which is one of the integral parts of the Bruins’ defense. Before Lindholm’s injury, he was a key part of the B’s top power play unit. Currently, the Bruins’ power play is only clicking at 12.6%. This is the worst the power play has been in Bruins franchise history. The second worst came in 2001-2002 when the man advantage was clicking at a dismal 13.8%.
Head coach Joe Sacco knows the hole on defense Lindholm has left with his absence. He said, “we miss Hampus. He plays in all situations for us. He plays against top lines…eats up a lot of minutes… a big guy…defends well. When the time comes, it’ll be a big addition to our group.” Lindholm has an exceptional ability to create offense around the blue line. He can get pucks into the offensive zone from the blue line, something the Bruins desperately need. The B’s have dropped their last six games and have not won a game since the new year.
Amid the Bruins’s recent skid, there is one potential bright spot. Hampus Lindholm skated prior to the Edmonton Oilers game this past Tuesday. The 30-year-old defenseman was on the ice before the club’s morning skate. He was working one-on-one with a Bruins coach and passing the puck around. Head coach Joe Sacco had this to say about Lindholm’s recovery, “there’s still no timeline right now…our medical staff will tell me when he’s ready to go. I’ll go by what they say…we’re looking forward to that day, but there’s still no timeline.”
The Bruins will head down to Florida this weekend to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. Although there is no set timeline for Lindholm’s return, he did make the trip down to Florida alongside his mother. The moms joined the team for their annual mom’s trip.
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