Practice Report: Sturm, Lindholm Talk Early Defensive Production

ANAHEIM –– The Boston Bruins’ defensemen have scored five times through the opening seven games of the season.

They enter Friday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on a three-game goal streak. This production is not by chance; it is the result of a year under head coach Marco Sturm’s defensive system. He wants his blueliners involved.

“We’ve talked about it. Looking at our d-corps, I think we have guys that like to get up and are good skaters,” Hampus Lindholm said following the B’s practice on Thursday in Anaheim. “Any time we can help the forwards kind of get up there, but do it smart, we found that right mixture of when to jump up. Not always lead the rush, but maybe be the fourth guy up the rush. We have the players for it, and we just have to keep doing it.”

Lindholm has four points (one goal, three assists) so far this year, trailing only Mason Lohrei, who has five points (two goals, three assists), for the positional lead. Lindholm started the season on the first pair with Will Borgen, but is now skating with Charlie McAvoy, who returned from a six-game suspension in Tuesday’s win against the San Jose Sharks.

“I think we both know what we do when we’re successful. I think it starts out with each other; if [McAvoy] plays his best game and I play my best game, I think we are going to do some good stuff together out there. I think that’s our mindset going out,” Lindholm said. “We don’t really have to think when we play together out there. We kind of just roll and play each other’s games.”

McAvoy had a tally in his first game back in the lineup and logged a team-high 24:41 of ice time. It took only a few shifts for the alternate captain to settle in, find his legs, and showcase the defensively responsible but offensively opportunistic style of play Sturm expects from his defensemen. It was an emphasis during Thursday’s practice, too.

“We always try to have a drill in there, too, where we are going to activate the D automatically. I think it was just a piece that was a little bit missing in the past, and we try to stay on our D,” Sturm said. “We have eight D, so they should be all rested all the time. We just want to make sure it’s automatic, especially the first few steps.”

It helps that five of the Bruins’ eight defensemen have one season and two training camps with Sturm under their belts. They’ve been there to help additions like Will Borgen, Connor Clifton and rookie Frederic Brunet adapt.

“That’s a big part of it – all the guys who have been around last year have it in the back of their head,” Lindholm said. “We know the systems and how we want to play, so maybe you can relax with that a bit more and focus on jumping up and finding spots to help join the rush."

It’s also been nice for Sturm to use the B’s limited ice time to actually practice and not just teach.

“I talked to my son the other day, and he’s like, ‘What a difference it makes – the one year.’ And I said, absolutely. We tried to figure out how we want to play, how my brain works, too, and it took us two to three months,” Sturm said. “So we’re definitely ahead of schedule this year. Doesn’t mean you win – not at all. But it’s definitely easier for players and coaches that we all know what we have to do.”

Friday’s game against the Ducks marks the second of four road contests this trip for the Bruins. It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Lindholm, who was drafted in the first round by Anaheim in 2012 and spent the first nine years of his career with the organization before landing in Boston.

​“It’s fun. This is probably the first time, too, I’ve had a little bit of time here so I can actually enjoy it and see some familiar faces that I got to know over the years,” he said. “But I’m here to work and here to get two points tomorrow. Looking forward to that.”