BOSTON — Elias Lindholm sent a one-handed pass from the half-wall onto the stick of Casey Mittelstadt. From the goal line, the forward redirected a slick pass to a net-front David Pastrnak to give the Bruins the first goal of the night.
“He has good hands. He has good vision,” coach Joe Sacco said of Mittelstadt. “He sees the ice well.”
The set-up not only cut Boston’s deficit in half, it propelled the Bruins to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
Nikita Zadorov has been in Mittelstadt’s shoes and knows a game like Tuesday’s can go far in a player’s confidence.
“He made a great play on the power play,” Zadorov said. “(The Panthers) were a really big-pressure team on the PK. You can see how our guys stood their ground. They were really patient with the puck, and (Mittelstadt) gave an unbelievable pass to cut the lead in half. It’s all confidence. … I think it’s just a matter of time for him to get to know the system, get to know his teammates. It takes time. He’s been great for us. … He has so much skill. It’s fun to see. When you go on the ice you know he’s going to make a play for you.”
Mittelstadt admitted he was a ways away from reaching his ceiling, but he took a step in the right direction on Tuesday night.
The 26-year-old plateaued with the Colorado Avalanche this season with 11 goals before he was traded to the Bruins. But the potential is there, and the Bruins are hoping he taps into that over the final month of games.
“Guys get a fresh start, all of a sudden, they look like different players,” Mittelstadt said after Monday’s practice. “So obviously, I’m hoping for that for myself, and I’m willing to put the work in to get there.”
With two assists in as many games for his new team, Mittelstadt is already helping the Bruins to victories. And with Boston fighting for a Wild Card spot, the team needs all the wins it can get with all the help it can get from every player.
“We’re gonna fight, we gonna play hard,” Mittelstadt said. “And we’re gonna compete to win.”