The Bruins earned their most emotional victory of the season in their third-period comeback win over a middling St. Louis Blues team.

But they’ll be hard-pressed to extend the good vibes much longer than the average sugar high. On the menu next are the Dallas Stars, a team that outclassed the B’s at the Garden on Oct. 24.

And they’ll be facing the Stars without the defenseman who had been their best blueliner – at least offensively – up until Tuesday. Hampus Lindholm left the game in St. Louis after he blocked a shot that appeared to hit him on the inside of his right knee. There is no real timeline on a return for Lindholm, whose offensive game had earned him top power play minutes.

After practice in Dallas on Wednesday, coach Jim Montgomery announced that Lindholm will be out “weeks,” not exactly what the B’s need right now.

“So ‘weeks’ is plural. Don’t ask me next week,” said Montgomery.

The news was not exactly unexpected after Lindholm could not return to the bench after getting hurt during the first period St. Louis power play, but it was unwelcome news nonetheless.

The offseason plan was to create an identity of a team that could close out tight, low-scoring games. But so far, that plan is still in the aspirational stages. Lindholm is the second top-six defenseman to go down with an injury. Andrew Peeke is still out “week-to-week” with an upper body injury he suffered in Toronto last week. The B’s are currently ranked 20th in goals against (3.18 per game).

To take Lindholm’s place in the lineup, the B’s brought up 32-year-old defenseman Jordan Oesterle from Providence. Oesterle has 371 games of NHL experience in Edmonton, Chicago, Arizona, Detroit and Calgary and had been playing well in Providence, posting 3-5-8 totals in nine games there.

Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) hits Philadelphia Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway as the Bruins take on the Flyers at the Garden on Oct. 29. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

“He’s an excellent skater in every possible fashion, his edges, his pivots, his lateral movement at the offensive blue line, his retrievals. And then it’s his brain. He’s a real smart hockey player who’s exceptional at breaking the puck out and transitioning pucks,” said Montgomery of Oesterle.

One thing the B’s will want to do against the Stars is stay out of the box, which is something they have not been able to do all season. They’ve taken a league-leading 84 minors penalties and, what’s worse, the penalty kill is not anywhere near what it’s been in recent years.

They’re ranked 26th in the PK at 73.6%. Even the Blues and their then-32nd ranked power play (Boston’s power play has taken over last place) scorched them for a pair of PP goals on Tuesday.

When the B’s played the Stars late last month, they gave up three straight second-period power-play goals that pretty much ended the game.

So Montgomery, who has seen his club take one step forward only fall back in its next game all season, knows that the win over the Blues hardly guarantees an upward trajectory.

“It hasn’t happened yet. We haven’t built that consistency,” said Montgomery. “There was a lot of positives from (Tuesday) night and we’re trying to build off those. Well see (Thursday) night. It’s a new day.”