Bruins: This winger is playing some of his best hockey

Over the last few years, Anton Blidh has become a familiar name to Boston Bruins fans.

Heading into the 2021-2022 campaign, he had appeared in 38 NHL games over the past five years. Blidh has never been able to stick on the NHL roster, but he has been hard to keep out of the lineup in his latest stint. While the season is far from over, his play has been a welcoming surprise.

In six games, Blidh has recorded two assists which is a career-high. The former sixth-round pick has attempted seven shots and brought a spark to the Bruins bottom six forward group. While he hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheet, Blidh has still made an impact on the ice.

Since making his season debut on October 22nd, Blidh has landed 15 hits while averaging 12:40 of ice time a game. The Bruins trust in the Swedish native has continued to grow as he only has one giveaway. He also not been afraid of sacrificing his body.

Anton Blidh is making it hard to keep him out of the lineup

In his limited action this season, Blidh has tied his career-high with five blocked shots. With the Bruins trailing by two on Sunday night, the former 180th overall pick broke up a Flames scoring opportunity in the second period by putting his body in front of a shot. While Calgary would win 4-0, that type of effort has earned Blidh consistent playing time. He has also impressed the Bruins coaching staff and created competition with Trent Frederic.

When asked about Blidh’s play, Bruce Cassidy said, ” Now Freddy, we’ve invested a lot of time in. He brings a little different flavor of the game. But at the end of the day, Anton can only control what he can when he’s in the lineup, and he’s doing a good job with it.”

While the season is far from over, Blidh’s value has been on full display. He is not as physical compared to Frederic but is a better skater. The Bruins winger has also been more aggressive in the offensive zone and created scoring chances.  With him in the lineup, the Bruins have posted a 4-2 record.

As the Bruins look to rise in the standings, Blidh will be an intriguing name to watch. He has been essential to their success of late, but he will face adversity at some point. How the 2013 draftee responds in that situation may determine how long he stays in the lineup. Regardless of how the season plays out, he is in the midst of the best stretch of his NHL career.