Evaluation:
Anton Blidh has been part of the rotating cast of players that have been holding the nu-merlot line as a viable, competitive shutdown 4th line. His inclusion has been quite welcome in the time they had him, as his tenacious, annoying (to the other team) style of forechecking made him a fun little edition to the depth that could now practically guarantee Boston a delayed zone exit from the other team and eat up valuable minutes so the top 6 could take a breather.
Blidh however has been part of the shooting-% curse that has effectively overtaken the Black and Gold, shooting at a measely 3% and only having 1 goal, which he got against the Islanders in a losing effort.
On top of that, Blidh’s tendency to play with an edge almost put him riding pine on a weird hit he put on Roman Josi. While granted it’s nice to see him playing doggedly, almost getting suspended is probably not what Boston needs right now. He was sent down to Providence last saturday and barring another injury, he’s liable to stay there.
Grade: Incomplete, Trending towards C-
Given the rotating log-jam at LW right now it’s probably better for Blidh to get more time in Providence, where he was a low-scoring but respectable player, and develop this tenacious play into a truly dangerous forechecking machine.
Stats:
Games Played: 19
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Points: 2
Shooting-%: 3.8%
Season CF% as of 1/23/17: 56.99%
OwnThePuck Visual: Blidh has not played enough minutes in the NHL to get a proper sample size to create a visual, and ergo does not have one.