1 week Ago By Conor Ryan
By Conor Ryan Less than a day after the Bruins completed a thrilling third-period comeback win against the Blues , Boston received some bad news on the injury front. Hampus Lindholm went down with an injury in the closing minutes of the first period on Tuesday after a shot from Justin Faulk struck him just above the left knee. The 30-year-old defenseman did not return for the start of the second period, with Boston later ruling out Lindholm for the remainder of the game.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Jim Montgomery told reporters it will be “weeks” before Lindholm is back in the lineup. 🎥 Coach Montgomery provided an update on Hampus Lindholm following today's #NHLBruins practice in Dallas: "Hampus is lower-body injury. It's going to be weeks.
" pic.twitter.com/WodSdmSAfw It’s devastating news for the Bruins and Lindholm, who has arguably served as Boston’s most consistent and impactful skater so far this season amid a sluggish 8-7-2 start.
Through 16 games entering Tuesday night, Lindholm was second among Bruins skaters with 21:39 of average ice time while also scoring three goals and seven total points. Lindholm’s assertiveness with the puck even led Montgomery to promote Lindholm up to Boston’s top power-play unit on Monday in place of Charlie McAvoy. “I think he’s being a lot more assertive,” Montgomery said of Lindholm, who has already matched his scoring output from last year with three goals through 16 games.
“He’s [bringing a] shot-first mentality, for sure.” The Bruins will need to look internally at other avenues to retool their ailing power play, which is currently last in the NHL with an 11.8 percent success rate.
McAvoy returned to Boston’s PP1 grouping for the remainder of Tuesday’s game against the Blues, while Mason Lohrei could also be due for some added minutes on the man advantage. With Lindholm now out of commission, the Bruins also called up veteran blueliner Jordan Oesterle on Wednesday. Andrew Peeke is already sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis due to an upper-body injury, meaning that Oesterle is expected to slot into Boston’s lineup for Thursday’s road matchup against the Stars.
The 32-year-old Oesterle is a left-shot D who has appeared in 371 career NHL games while playing for five different NHL franchises. The Dearborn Heights, Michigan, native signed a two-year, two-way contract with Boston in July. Oesterle opened the 2024 season with the Providence Bruins, scoring three goals and recording five assists over nine games against AHL competition.
Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023. Sign up for Bruins updates🏒 Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during hockey season.
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