Boston, MA – The final push of the regular season is drawing closer, and teams that have been deemed contenders have loaded up at the trade deadline with the mindset of playing summer hockey.
The Boston Bruins are one of those teams.
“I was really lucky when I got the phone call and I was super excited,” said Hampus Lindholm, who came over from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the trade deadline. “It felt like a good fit from the beginning, and I am happy be here in Boston.”
After recently concluding a four-game road trip, the Black and Gold took the TD Garden ice on Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders. The B’s knew coming into this matinee that this one was going to be an important game and a good way to stay on track. If anything, it was going to be a tone setter for the future.
“It is a strong division no matter where you finish, and I would have to say the same about the Metro Division,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Our focus is getting into the playoffs first. There are going to be no easy matchups.”
Linus Ullmark (19-9-2, 2.72 GAA, .909 SV%) opposed Semyon Varlamov (6-12-2, 2.67 GAA, .917 SV%) in the goaltending matchup for this game.
Craig Smith put Boston on the board early in the first period. The Islanders certainly generated their own chances, but the Bruins stood tall. Taylor Hall capped off the opening 20 minutes with a nifty tap in on the power play for the 2-0 advantage.
Heading into the second period, New York was able to pull within one and make it a game. It was at that point that the Bruins started to open things up. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand netted back-to-back goals to give Boston a comfortable cushion midway through the game. The physical play picked up as well with both teams looking to grab an edge for the remainder of the tilt. Boston concluded the first 40 minutes with a 6-2 lead…and there was no looking back. The Bruins held on to win this one by a final score of 6-3.
The Bruins will continue their homestand this coming Tuesday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lineup for 3/26 vs. NYI
Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Nick Foligno, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, Brad Marchand, Tomas Nosek, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith
Defense: Brandon Carlo, Connor Clifton, Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy
Goaltenders: Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark
Side Note: David Krejci will not be returning to the Bruins this season, as reported earlier in the week.
