Oliver Wahlstrom had not quite given the Bruins the boost offensively that was hoped for when the club claimed him off waivers from the New York Islanders on Dec. 14. He was pointless in the six games he’s played going into Sunday’s game.

But could the chance to go against his old team be the spark that coach Joe Sacco sensed was coming?

“I would hope so. I think it’s always fun when you get your first opportunity to play against your former team,” said Sacco prior to the game against the Isles. “I thought (Saturday night in Toronto) he actually did a lot of good things in that game. That line did a lot of good things so I hope they carry over that momentum.”

In the B’s 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs, Wahlstrom played on his off wing on the left side with center Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau on the right wing. The unit did get a goal from Frederic off a faceoff play in the second period, and Wahlstrom created an opportunity for himself earlier in the game, cutting through the slot and getting a good shot on net.

To say Wahlstrom has found a home on that line would be jumping the gun, especially with the way the lines have been shuffled in the effort to squeeze scoring out the lineup. But he’s starting to feel comfortable there.

“We’re starting to find a little more chemistry,” said Wahlstrom. “When we’re moving our legs and play a heavy game down low and cycle the puck, I think we create a lot of chances for ourselves. I think that’s what we’ve got to stick to doing, getting pucks down low and hanging on to them.”

He said he hadn’t played a lot on his off wing, but he’s enjoying the experiment.

“I like it a lot,” said Wahlstrom. “You can creep in on the right side, you can push the puck to the middle, you can open up for (one-timers). It’s a new, fun position for me, for sure.”

Wahlstrom was excited for the chance to play against the Islanders, though not exactly from a revenge point of view. He still has a lot of friends in the Islanders room and he came in early to visit with the equipment guys.

But after being drafted 11th overall by the Islanders in 2018 and not really finding his niche on the Island, it was time for a reset. There were no hard feelings toward the organization.

“I think it was really healthy, for sure,” said Wahlstrom. “Just to see different type of cultures and things like that, it was really beneficial for me. The Islanders were so good to me. I thank them for everything. They drafted me so they gave me a taste my first five years, so it was good.”

Ready for Freddy

As for Frederic, Sacco was also also hoping his play would continue on an incline. With his goal on Saturday in Toronto against his old pal Joseph Woll, he snapped an 11-game pointless streak during which he had a total of eight shots on net. He had three shots on Saturday.

“Freddy was energized from the drop of the puck (Saturday) night, it looked like,” said Sacco. “He was definitely emotionally engaged in that game. I’ve said it before. When Freddy’s at his best, he’s involved in the game physically and I thought that his 5-on-5 play picked up from there because of that.” …

Ins, outs

Parker Wotherspoon, another former Islander, got back in the lineup on Sunday and Jordan Oesterle was the scratch while Joonas Korpisalo got the start after Jeremy Swayman started all three games on the road trip. …

The Bruins went into Sunday’s game having not gotten a goal from a defenseman since Dec. 3 when Nikita Zadorov scored in a 3-2 win over Detroit, a span of 14 games. …

This is difficult couple of weeks for the B’s. After a day off on Monday, they host the explosive Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday then travel to Tampa Bay for their first meeting against the Lightning and then return to Sunrise for a date against the Panthers. They come back for a home game against the Panthers before traveling down to Ottawa for a game against the Senators, a team with whom they could be battling for a wild card spot.