Ex-Islanders bust Oliver Wahlstrom thankful for…
BOSTON — Oliver Wahlstrom admitted that it was “really healthy” for him to get a contemporary begin with the Bruins after issues gave the impression to be headed nowhere with the Islanders.
That was by no means Wahlstrom talking negatively on the Islanders — a crew that features a quantity of buddies, which drafted him and which gave him quite a few probabilities to ascertain himself.
It was merely an acknowledgment of a actuality that everybody may see by the time Wahlstrom was waived final month.
Oliver Wahlstrom controls the puck during the Bruins-Islanders recreation on Jan. 5, 2025. USA TODAY Sports through Reuters Con
“Just to see different type of culture and things like that, it was really beneficial for me,” Wahlstrom, now a Bruin, mentioned earlier than going through the Islanders for the primary time Sunday night — a 5-4 time beyond regulation win for the Isles. “The Islanders, they were good to me. They drafted me, gave me a taste, my first five years, that was good.”
Wahlstrom, who’s been enjoying on the third line for the Bruins, has but to attain a level for the crew he grew up rooting for as a New England child, although he did report a quantity of probabilities over 12:58 of ice on Sunday.
He had 4 factors in 27 video games this season on the Island, earlier than being uncovered to waivers upon the cap crunch imposed by Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair coming off LTIR.
Oliver Wahlstrom was wived by the Islanders final month. NHLI through Getty Images
The Bruins picked up Wahlstrom — a free agent after this season — hoping they might do what the Islanders couldn’t and switch his precipitous expertise into a constant NHL recreation.
“He shoots the puck really good,” Ryan Pulock mentioned. “That’s been one of his skills ever since I’ve played with him. He can be a big threat when he gets the puck around the net.”
Sunday marked the primary time all season that Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri performed on separate strains. Nelson centered Anders Lee and Barzal, whereas Palmieri performed with Duclair and Bo Horvat.
Max Tsyplakov, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas made up the third line whereas the fourth stayed intact.
Three of the 4 had anticipated objectives ratios above 50 % in opposition to the Bruins, with the lone exception being Horvat’s line — which simply missed the cutoff at 47.13, per Natural Stat Trick, with Horvat scoring shorthanded and at three-on-three.
“I thought everybody played really well,” Horvat mentioned. “I thought Barzy’s line was really good tonight with Leesy and Nellie. Nellie was flying up the middle, Leesy was doing his thing out front and scoring big goals, Barzy makes plays out there. Those three looked really good tonight.”
Isaiah George (suspected concussion) and Simon Holmstrom (higher physique) each missed Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the Bruins.
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