Lindholm loads up more shots
Paired regularly of late with Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm has found the net again, scoring twice across the three games leading up to Saturday’s matinee at TD Garden against the Panthers.
Lindholm connected a week earlier for only his second goal of the season, his long wrister from above the left circle providing a lead in Washington. On Thursday, the smooth-skating Swede popped in the emptynetter that closed out an impressive win at Carolina.
Over his last 10 games, Lindholm has landed 23 shots on net, a rate far busier than the 73 in his previous 59 games. He registered one shot in the 3-2 overtime win over the Panthers, but was hampered by an injury suffered in the second period that he shook off during the intermission.
It would appear that riding with McAvoy has, at the very least, made him think of being more shot-ready when he takes the ice, contrary to his spot aside Brandon Carlo on the No. 2 pairing.
“I think it’s more playing with Charlie, probably more O-zone time,” coach Jim Montgomery said before puck drop vs. Florida. “But we’ve asked him to be more direct for a long time and I think maybe the message is getting through and he’s having a little more success [scoring goals] and maybe that’s encouraged him to shoot the puck more.”
More direct, in coaching parlance, typically means taking a more north-south approach to the game, in terms of skating, stickhandling, and in this case, wiring shots to the cage.
“Just unload, like, put the puck to the net,” Montgomery said.
“You don’t have to find the next-best play, just put the puck at the net. Because I think our forwards do a good job of winning races and getting to the net front. And I think our defensemen have to reward them a little more often.”
McAvoy ends drought
McAvoy entered the matinee amid one of the longest offensive dry spells of his career, held off the scoresheet (0-0–0) in 14 of his previous 15 games, but he pulled the Bruins into 1-1 tie with 5:42 gone in the first period on his career-best 11th goal.
Still the club’s top producing blue-liner (1134-45), McAvoy also chipped in with a goal and an assist vs. the Panthers in the win at Sunrise March 26. Otherwise, he went 0-0–0 in 14 games across five weeks.
Montgomery has urged McAvoy, like Lindholm, to be quicker on the trigger, particularly on the power play. For the most part, though, he remained a reluctant shooter, ranking eighth on the club in shots (121), before throwing five on the Florida net. He has been the No. 1 option at point for the first powerplay unit this season, a role that should be conducive to getting more rubber to the net.
Reduced power
The power play of late has been a particular bugaboo, and there is more to correcting its woes than simply getting McAvoy to summon his inner Ray Bourque.
However, a greater inclination from McAvoy to fire away could catch penalty-killers off guard. If the power play is less predictable opponents might shift away from David Pastrnak’s office near the left wing faceoff dot — and help the Bruins improve a man advantage that went a barely detectable 1 for 19 in the seven games prior to the visit by the Panthers.
“I’m not concerned about our power play,” Montgomery said. “We have David Pastrnak. We have Charlie McAvoy. We have a guy [Brad Marchand] who has 400 goals as a Bruin. I’m not concerned. I know it hasn’t looked great lately, but we are working on things and when you’re working on things sometimes it’s not natural. But because we’re working on it now, it will become natural come playoff time.”
McAvoy has one power-play goal this season, scored Nov. 18 against the Canadiens. Marchand had not connected on the advantage for nearly three months (Jan. 13 vs. the Blues). Charlie Coyle had but two power-play goals in the calendar year before adding a third vs. the Panthers.
No goalie decision
Linus Ullmark drew the start in net and improved to 21-9-7 with his 28-save effort.
The standard rotation would see Jeremy Swayman in there Tuesday night to face the Hurricanes, right on the heels of his No. 1 star performance (28 saves) against them.
“We haven’t made a decision We have two days off before we play again,” Montgomery said. “We could, if we’re looking forward to the playoffs and we continue with the rotations, and I’m not saying we’re doing that, then that allows us to get each goalie against Carolina in the last couple of days.”
Maroon plan sticks
Pat Maroon, acquired from the Wild at the March 8 trade deadline, remained out of the lineup. It’s “the plan still,” said Montgomery that the veteran winger will make his Bruins debut next Saturday night in Pittsburgh . . . Montgomery went with the same 18 skaters he rolled out in Raleigh, which left out defensemen Kevin Shatternkirk and Mason Lohrei
. . . Still no update on injured winger Justin Brazeau. The fact that general manager Don Sweeney hasn’t called a forward up from AHL Providence could be an indication that the club hopes Brazeau can rebound quickly from the arm injury he sustained in the first period Tuesday in Nashville.