Haula knows that he did not get off to the strongest of starts with his new club. Through Dec. 16 - Boston's last game before the season was paused due to COVID-19 - the veteran forward had collected just one goal and four assists in 25 games.
But since the Bruins' return on Jan. 1, which coincided with his move to center Boston's second line between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak, Haula's offensive production has exploded. In 28 games since the turn of the calendar, the 30-year-old has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), ranking fourth on the Bruins behind David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Taylor Hall.
"Things have fallen into place and things are going good as a team, so those things help," said Haula, who carries a six-game point streak (3-5-8) into Monday's game. "Having production is awesome as well. Just overall, I'm happy with the little things in my game that's helped me produce."
The Finland native, who was signed to a two-year contract back in July, pointed to an ever-increasing comfort level in his new surroundings and more consistency throughout the lineup as two of the main reasons for his uptick in production.
"I think there's a lot of things probably," said Haula. "I dealt with it last year as well. Had a slow start last year as well and finished strong. It's hard to say. It's not the easiest thing to bounce around teams and come in and try to establish yourself and find a spot.
"Obviously when the team's going good, usually the lines stick together and you start finding chemistry in certain areas, but I feel like I was kind of bouncing around a little bit early on and those things can take a little bit of time. But the team is going good now and I feel like we've found some chemistry in our lines."
Haula, of course, has also benefitted from playing with two elite offensive talents in Hall and Pastrnak on a nightly basis.
"For me, I have an elite goal scorer and a great playmaker who can finish as well," said Haula. "They both like to have the puck. It's been, what can I do to help these guys have more space, what can I do to help them create more or whatever it is? Obviously, the defensive side is something that I focus on a lot and see what I can do well so that we can have the puck and play offense more than defense.
"Just the tendencies, I think, is big and knowing where they are, what they like to do…just getting to know those guys has been huge. But very early on it was an easy fit for me in a way to come in and just simplify my game. That, I feel like, has helped a lot."
