Elias Lindholm knows he has not been good enough.

Lindholm, signed to a seven-year contract worth $7.75 million a season, has just two goals and seven assists in 19 games. He has not scored a goal in over a month, a span of 16 games dating back to October 12. One of the roles envisioned for him – set-up man for the B’s top goalscorer David Pastrnak – has not yet worked out and the two have been separated.

To be fair, Lindholm is in the midst of a major transition, arriving after six years in Calgary and a short stay in Vancouver. He and his wife also welcomed a newborn at the start the start of the season, always enough to throw any household into a little bit of blissful chaos.

But Lindholm won’t lean on that as an excuse.

“I think overall I haven’t been good enough. I wouldn’t put the blame on something else. I’ve got to be better,” said the centerman.

Lindholm has enjoyed one big moment, when he stole the puck in overtime to set up Brad Marchand’s winner against his old team the Flames on November 7. But that did not serve as the personal springboard it was hope to be. He has gone without a point in the four subsequent games.

“For myself, I’ve just got to be more involved,” said Lindholm. “I think for 60 minutes I’m not doing too much out there, just kind of skating up and down the ice. I’ve got to be more involved and want the puck more.”

Somehow, some way, Lindholm needs to build back his confidence. But it seems like that mental boulder is rolling the wrong way for him right now.

“For all players, when you’re feeling good about your game and you have confidence, you’re obviously around the puck more and you’re in the right spots,” said Lindholm. “As players, when you don’t have the confidence and things are not going your way, you’re kind of hiding a little bit and not wanting the puck. That’s kind of what’s been happening. For all of us, everyone’s got to step it up a little bit and for myself, it starts with me.”

Coach Jim Montgomery, who was willing to concede that Lindholm’s off-ice transition could be making things difficult on-ice more than Lindholm himself, sees the two-way centerman as more of a “complementary” center, someone who moves the puck quickly and allows his linemates time and space to work with it. And his best year, of course, was when he played between two great players in Calgary – Matthew Tkachuk and the late Johnny Gaudreau – when he had 42-40-82 in 2021-22.

But when those wingers moved on the following year, Lindholm still had a very productive season with 22-42-64 totals. It’s more than reasonable to think the pivot, who turns 30 on December2, has more to give.

Lindholm is currently playing with Brad Marchand and Justin Brazeau and the line has shown flashes but hasn’t really taken off. The centerman takes responsibility for that.

“If I find my game and be a better player for us, my thing is I (help) my teammates be better, my line is better,” said Lindholm. “It’s hard for them when the guy who’s supposed to drive the line is not playing good enough. As long as I’m not getting better, it’s going to be hard for them.”

Lindholm, of course, is not alone in the under-performing category on the Bruins right now. After an emotional comeback over the Blues in St. Louis, they turned in two stinkers in Dallas and then at the Garden against the Blues.

Like everyone else, Lindholm is at a loss for the macro answer of what’s ailing this team.

“It’s hard to tell. We take one step forward, two steps back,” said Lindholm. “We felt fine in St. Louis,, found a way to get the win there and then obviously you’d think we’d build some momentum there and then you come into Dallas and (it was) not even close enough. Outplayed for 60 minutes and then we play in front of our own fans (Saturday) and have a good chance to redeem ourselves a little bit. And then we put the same game out there again. It’s frustrating.”…

Andrew Peeke (upper body) was a full participant in Sunday’s. Montgomery tentatively termed him as doubtful for Monday’s matchup against his old team the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he led the stretch (often a sign of a player about to return to the lineup) and both Montgomery and Peeke left the door open a crack for him to play.

Like any player, Peeke would love to play against his old team, but not so much in the usual “revenge game” type of of way. Peeke and his former teammates endured the heartbreak of Gaudreau’s tragic death at the hands of an alleged drunk driver just before the season began. The connection of being teammates, whether current or former, is the strongest in those times.

“It was really tough, obviously. Still is. Not many days go by when you don’t think of him or even if I’m seeing Columbus on TV or checking the box scores, he’s the first guy that comes to mind when I see that logo or team name,” said Peeke. “It’s tough, going to the funeral and seeing those guys after not having seen them since I was traded (last March). Being able to be together, there are many bonds like teammates have, and you felt that. It was special and we all think of them every day, think of (wife) Meredith and the kids.”…

Joonas Korpisalo is another former Blue Jacket. While he didn’t like the overtime game-winner he allowed, Korpisalo was mostly responsible for the B’s salvaging a point on Saturday. Montgomery wasn’t tipping his hand on whether he’d go back with him against the Jackets, but he didn’t rule it out.

“He did have a really good game. But we’re going to evaluate where we’re at and what we think gives us the best opportunity (Monday). This is his prior team, his first team in the NHL, and sometimes that’s a motivating factor for goalies, or any player,” said Montgomery….

Marchand (maintenance) did not practice on Sunday. Mark Kastelic (lower body, day-to-day) also did not practice. Tyler Johnson, who missed the last two games for family reasons, was back at ppractice and will be in against the Columbus.

Riley Tufte was returned to Providence.