Apr 27, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and center John Beecher (19) celebrate the win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of the third period in game four of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY
When Don Sweeney and the Bruins’ top brass charted out sweeping changes this offseason, Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Canadiens might have been the result they forecasted.
Elias Lindholm — signed for $54.25 million on July 1 in hopes he’d anchor Boston’s top line — knocked home his first goal in a black-and-gold sweater while adding a pair of helpers against the Habs. The 29-year-old pivot has already recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in two games this season.
Nikita Zadorov — signed on the same day as Lindholm to a $30 million contract — has been advertised as a physical deterrent on the back end. The 6-foot-6 defenseman has landed eight hits already with Boston, while adding a pair of assists in Thursday’s win.
And just as Sweeney and his staff predicted, a Bruins fourth line featuring a pair of offseason additions in Mark Kastelic and Cole Koepke shredded Montreal — both on the forecheck and on the scoresheet.
Perhaps it’s a stretch to expect a pair of checking-line forwards like Kastelic and Koepke to provide the same impact as Boston’s high-priced pickups in Lindholm and Zadorov.
But through two games, Jim Montgomery and the Bruins seem to have struck gold with this fleet-footed grouping on the fourth line.
“They were unbelievable,” Lindholm said of the fourth line. “Obviously, I thought they played really well last game, too, and created a lot of energy. They’re all big bodies, skate well, and are tough to play against. So obviously they got rewarded and deserved to score a couple of goals. They were our best line tonight.”
