Boston Bruins: Joakim Nordstrom showing up when it matters most

Joakim Nordstrom’s first regular season with the Boston Bruins was a quiet one, but he has been making up for it with his play in the Stanley Cup Final.

It seemed like Joakim Nordstrom was struggling to find his role within the lineup for the Boston Bruins throughout his first season with the team. This shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise, given he needed some time to form chemistry with his third different NHL team.

Nordstrom failed to set the world alight with the Chicago Blackhawks, mainly due to somewhat limited opportunities on their roster. Moving over to the Carolina Hurricanes, he saw significantly more ice-time but still didn’t appear to be set for any sort of major breakthrough.

Continuing that trend, and having scored just 12 points in 70 regular season games, Joakim Nordstrom was considered an afterthought as the Boston Bruins prepared for the playoffs.

That all changed when Nordstrom scored the opening goal in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nordstrom added an assist on Sean Kuraly‘s insurance goal in the third period as the Boston Bruins earned a 5-1 victory. It was also Nordstrom’s first career multiple-point playoff game.

Nordstrom has six points through 18 games so far during the playoffs, but has found another level to his game during the Stanley Cup Final. With a goal and assist through two games, the offensive play has improved, but it was one shift on the penalty kill that won over the fans who may not have been his biggest fan.

I’ll be the first to admit, I spent most of this season as a Nordstrom hater, but after watching him put his body on the line multiple times in a shift reminiscent of Gregory Campbell‘s penalty kill against the Penguins in 2013, my position has changed. After a goal and multiple blocked shots last night, Nordstrom has endeared himself to just about every Bruins fan.

Joakim Nordstrom was one of the lone bright spots for the Bruins in Game 2, but his efforts were wasted in a game where the Bruins star players failed to live up to the moment. As a result, the St. Louis Blues came away with a 3-2 overtime win to tie the series.

Nordstrom, along with Kuraly and Marcus Johansson, have been the best players for the Bruins during the Stanley Cup Final.

While it’s good news that their depth players have been playing well, the Boston Bruins will need their top line to step up as the series shifts back to St. Louis for Game 3 on Saturday night.