\u201cIt feels really good to be out there skating around and wear the B\u2019s jersey,\u201d said Lindholm. \u201cIt\u2019s a special feeling every time and obviously little extra jitters and butterflies coming out there tonight again. But no, it felt like it should. I was excited to be out there. It was a good first game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindholm was his steady self against the Flyers, playing 21-plus minutes and in all situations. He squashes plays and net-front kerfuffles with a remarkable coolness. The man known as \u201cHammer\u201d rarely \u2014 if ever \u2014 loses his temper but will use his size and strength to deescalate situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, he just has a super confidence all the time, especially defensively, just so calm and poised with the stick and knows when to strike and when not to,\u201d said Mason Lohrei, his defensive partner in Philadelphia. \u201cAnd a lot of times he baits the other teams\u2019 forwards into making a play that he just takes away. So, fun to watch, fun to work with, and learn from. I\u2019m just so happy for him. I know it was a long road, so glad to see him back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marco Sturm couldn\u2019t hide his smile when asked about Lindholm\u2019s debut.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was great. He was so excited,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cHe is just a solid defenseman. Yeah, once I think one or two shifts he got caught a little bit, but other than that I thought he was excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindholm spent the summer in Sweden doing more rehab and strength work with trainer Igor Vladimir to prepare for his return.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve been around long enough to kind of know the way around an NHL game, but it\u2019s been fun to go out there and feel this good knowing all the work that\u2019s been done on the backside of it,\u201d Lindholm said. \u201cAnd obviously there\u2019s been a lot of people helping me to be able to come back and so it feels great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindholm was back at practice at Warrior Ice Arena Sunday morning, paired with Andrew Peeke, his likely partner when the regular season starts in just over a week.<\/p>\n
He has shown a natural ability to work with a lot of different players on the back end. He often combines with Charlie McAvoy as a shutdown penalty-kill duo and has been paired with Lohrei on the second power-play unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe plays all over the place and in every situation and guys that are hard to come by,\u201d said Lohrei.<\/p>\n
The Bruins announced their first wave of roster cuts. Forwards Joey Abate, Jake Schmaltz, and Ty Cheveldayoff; defensemen Jackson Edward, Colin Felix, Ty Gallagher, Loke Johansson, and Max Wanner; and goalies Simon Zajicek and Luke Cavallin will report to Providence\u2019s training camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose players did a good job, I thought, last week,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cThey gave us a good effort, a good attitude. They\u2019re all good kids. And now, where we\u2019re just opening camp in Providence, I think it\u2019s better for them just to get some more reps and more playing time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bruins and Flyers will have a rematch Monday night at TD Garden . . . The club will have Tuesday off and then finish the week with two final preseason games: at Washington Thursday night and at home against the Rangers Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n