Lindholm struggled after a signing an eight-year deal in the offseason, but has three goals and two assists in his last five games.
In a game where the Boston Bruins were the underdogs, they emerged with possibly their best win of the season Monday, with help from a reworked second line.
Brad Marchand, Elias Lindholm and Charlie Coyle helped lead the Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Capitals at TD Garden. Lindholm faked out Charlie Lindgren to break the 1-1 tie.
“Decided kind of early I was going to fake and go back to the backhand there,” Lindholm said after the game. “Obviously, nice pass by Marchy there. I was all alone there with the goal. Good to see it go in.”
It was Lindholm’s third goal in five games. He also has two assists in that span. The forward has begun to find his groove of late, and his 18 points are third-most on the Bruins.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling a little bit better on the ice,” he said. “Obviously making more plays, feeling more confident. Everything is slowly getting better.”
The turnaround is a welcome one for Lindholm and the Bruins — who signed the forward to an eight-year deal in the offseason to be a two-way center. Lindholm got off to a tough start. There was no chemistry with David Pastrnak and it took a little bit of time to find his offensive game on the second line.
Now things seem to be clicking as Lindholm has begun to find his offensive groove.
“We were expecting that from Lindy,” Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. “He seems to be finding his game, as well, right now. These guys play a 200-foot game, but they want to get their offense going, too. Lindy’s an offensive player, too. When they start putting some points on the board, they feel better about themselves as individuals. They help the team more collectively as a group. He just seems to be finding his game.”
Marchand added: “Sometimes it just takes a little bit of time to get used to everything. It’s not just on the ice. It’s off the ice, as well, for your family, moving into a new home and situation and trying to figure everything out. Sometimes you just don’t get the bounces. Sometimes they go your way. When they go your way, your confidence is high.
“He’s playing very well right now. Definitely seems to have that touch. It’s great to see. He’s a hell of a player and he’s going to be here for a long time.”
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins outshot the Capitals 6-0 when Lindholm was on the ice for 12:28 of 5-on-5. He also had several shifts during Boston’s five-minute penalty kill after Oliver Wahlstrom was given a game misconduct, and Washington didn’t get a shot on net during that span.
Marchand and Coyle have also begun to find their games. Coyle, playing on the right wing as opposed to his natural center position, has meshed well with his linemates. And during a season when the lines have been jumbled from game to game, Sacco has found something with this trio.
“Three good players, they can all defend, have offensive capabilities, they’re veterans, experienced players,” Sacco said. “It’s a line we can use against other teams’ top lines. They can check, they can score. A lot of balance there — two centermen — they seem to be playing well right now.”
The Bruins struggled to begin the year, and it ultimately resulted in the team firing coach Jim Montgomery. Since Sacco took over, the Bruins are 11-4-1. But now Lindholm is playing better, along with Marchand and Coyle.
