A fully healthy Hampus Lindholm makes the Bruins a different team

Hampus Lindholm's return to the lineup didn't go as smoothly as the Swedish defenseman might've wanted. Lindholm missed most of last season with a knee injury, and another lower-body injury to start this season had most Boston Bruins fans thinking the worst. He was on the ice for both New York Islanders goals in the first period of Tuesday night's return, but he slowly started to settle in after those hiccups.

""I wanted to hug him after the game, I'll tell you that. Maybe not his first shift, because he missed the net and then they went the other way. But other than that he was outstanding. He's definitely a guy we need in our lineup.""

Marco Sturm

Lindholm's presence and chemistry with David Pastrnak were back on display shortly after those two goals against. The defender walked in from the blue line to sell that he was going to shoot, and fired a perfect slap pass onto the stick of Pastrnak for a goal. It was a great representation of the kind of impact Lindholm can have for all his teammates, and why he should also be the one passing the puck to Pastrnak from the quarterback spot on the powerplay.

""It's tough being sidelined ... It's nice to be back out there and I think the guys did a hell of a job tonight to get that win.""

Hampus Lindholm

Lindholm has been adamant that the injury had nothing to do with the knee issues last year. He believes the injury is behind him and that he can continue to operate at 100%. If the Bruins are really serious about contending,

Lindholm giving himself the 100% tag is paramount. He adds much-needed depth on the second pair, chips in enough offense to make up for some of the team's issues, and his presence also helps Charlie McAvoy settle into his role. It's no coincidence that McAvoy had one of his better games of the season with Lindholm in the lineup (and maybe something to do with being away from Mason Lohrei as a pairing).

The Bruins need Lindholm healthy and playing like he did on Tuesday night. They are a much different and more well-rounded team when that is the case.