When the Boston Bruins began a four-game road trip with three games in California against the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings, with the final stop against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night in Texas. Getting four out of a possible eight points would be considered a good trip, but the Black and Gold swept the three California teams, which has already turned it into a great trip.
One player who has quietly been flying under the radar early in the season has been center Elias Lindholm. Dropped from the first line to the third line, Lindholm has been making a big impact. He tallied a power-play goal against the Ducks and then sealed the win over the Kings with an empty-net goal. However, after the win over Los Angeles, he gave an encouraging update on his health this season so far.
“It feels good [to be playing well],” said Lindholm, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. “I think it’s the first time in a long time my body feels good. I think for quite some time it’s been always something, I feel like. My body feels great, so it feels good.”
For now, Lindholm's back is healthy, and it is showing in his play. Now, it's just a matter of how long it can stay that way.
Jonathan Aspirot fills in for Nikita Zadorov
One very surprising lineup change that Marco Sturm made in Los Angeles was scratching defenseman Nikita Zadorov in favor of Jonathan Aspirot. The move was to send a message to Zadorov that his undisciplined play this season and multiple trips to the penalty box are not going unnoticed.
Against the Kings, Aspirot played just under 18 minutes; he had five hits and three blocks for the Black and Gold. It was a performance that didn't go unnoticed by his head coach in his first game action in 14 days.
“It’s not easy to be out that long. I thought he was outstanding today,” Sturm said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “He was blocking shots, he was aggressive, he was mean, he won a lot of battles. He was excellent.”
Read More: Bruins coach Marco Sturm sends Nikita Zadorov a blunt message with a healthy scratch
Expect Zadorov back in the lineup against the Stars, but being asked about being scratched might be something to look forward to on Monday.
Notable Bruins stats
For the Bruins to win seven of their first nine games, as well as being on a current five-game winning streak, there are some eye-popping numbers. Here are some,
- Defenseman Will Borgen leads the Bruins with a plus/minus of plus-9.
- Fraser Minten had four goals and four assists.
- Morgan Geekie has only one goal, but he has seven assists.
- Zadorov has already racked up 29 penalty minutes.
- Three of David Pastrnak's four goals have come on the power play.
- Jeremy Swayman is 6-1-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
After visiting the Stars, the Bruins return home Thursday night to host the Nashville Predators.
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