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Billy Jaffe: Bruins will use 2 goalies in the playoffs

Author and Ryan Beaton

On Thursday’s Toucher & Hardy radio program, NESN’s Billy Jaffe joined the show to explain the Boston Bruins goalie-tandem situation.

bruins

Mar 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Bruins goaltenders Jeremy Swayman (1) and Linus Ullmark (35) celebrate after defeating the Washington Capitals in a shootout at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Foslien-USA TODAY Sports

 

Goalie Tandem in Playoffs?

Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.

 

Toucher: It’s undecided who will be the goaltender for the Bruins as we enter the playoffs. They tried to trade Ullmark at the deadline. He turned it down, and now Ullmark has been outplaying Swayman by a good margin. Unless you think differently. What’s your read? How will they figure this out?

Jaffe: Well they’re going to keep playing. Well, they have six games left which you know. Jeremy Swayman started beautifully and has been at times really good lately and not as good. No question that Linus has played better in the last 5 or 6 games, even though he had two losses in that time.

I think it’s that he hasn’t given up more than two goals except once in his last 6 or 7 games. And so he’s been very stout. He’s been excellent. He’s definitely taken over if you want to call it the inside track, or whatever. He is playing better.

I still think they go tandem early on in the playoffs. I do.

I think they might give one of these guys two games in a row down the stretch here. Again, we only have six games left. They might do that. But then I think they start with both in the playoffs.

They’ve been talking about it all season long. They said that last year they learned some stuff in the playoffs. I have to imagine they maybe play two games at most for one guy. And then the other guy will come in, even if it’s just for one game.

To say, “Alright, we’ve played both of you mostly all season long. Now you’re going to go in.”

Maybe that guy gets one game and then the other guy goes back in. But I don’t see them going five games with one guy and then none with the other. They haven’t done it all year, Fred. So, I don’t I don’t see them changing things this time around.

Hardy: Man, is that going to be something to talk about second guess if things don’t work out?

Jaffe: Well, wait. What’s the difference between last year? It was the same thing last year, Hardy. It was talked about all the time. You know, they were going with one goalie longer and longer last playoffs. And then, we all second-guessed that too.

 

Segment Audio

 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

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3 Stars: Bruins keep it rolling in Nashville

As one would expect in a matchup between Juuse Saros and Linus Ullmark, goals were indeed at a premium in Tuesday’s showdown between the Bruins and Predators at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

But it was also a damn-near throwback to the NHL of yesteryear — and I’m talking long before the Predators were even a twinkle in the NHL’s eye — as the Bruins and Predators nearly went three full periods without a goal on the board.

It was the kind of tight-checking, zero-room-out-there game that Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has consistently warned their club about becoming the new norm down the stretch and into the postseason. And for the Bruins, it was less than 12 minutes away from being the team’s first 0-0 game in nearly 15 years.

Yet, powered by three goals in the final 6:42 of regulation, the Bruins did what they had to ensure themselves of a victory, and escaped Nashville with two points.

  • With the victory over the Preds, and with Florida’s loss to the Canadiens, the Bruins have now moved four points ahead of the Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division. That’s a potentially huge move, but could really come back to what happens for the rest of the week, as the Bruins will play the Hurricanes on Thursday while the Panthers play Ottawa ahead of a Saturday showdown between the Bruins and Panthers at TD Garden.

    Given the fact that the Panthers hold all the notable tiebreakers over the Bruins, the Bruins will by all means have to finish the season with more points than the Panthers to win the Atlantic Division.

    Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a victory over the Preds…

  • Third Star: David Pastrnak

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) waits for a face off during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) waits for a face off during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. (Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports)

    In what could be absolutely devastating news for narratives and lazy talking points, Bruins superstar David Pastrnak has put some forth some absolutely incredible 200-foot work of late.

    And Tuesday was just the latest step forward in that respect, as Pastrnak did the dirty work to help create Boston’s second goal and then stuck the dagger further into Nashville’s chest with the empty-net goal to give Boston a 3-0 victory.

    In addition to the on-ice results, the Bruins held a 10-5 on-ice edge in shots on goal with No. 88 out on the ice at five-on-five play, but were outshot 22-15 with Pastrnak on the bench.

    As we’ve discussed before, Pastrnak has really taken his game to another level since Jim Montgomery called out his team ahead of their flight to Florida. Always a great sign when your superstars (who have carried their weight all year) hear your message, respond, and follow that direction.

  • Second Star: Charlie Coyle

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates with left wing Brad Marchand (63) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) after a goal during the third period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates with left wing Brad Marchand (63) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) after a goal against the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. (Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports)

    Just like timely saves, timely goals matter just a bit more this time of year, and there’s no denying that Charlie Coyle scored one hell of a timely goal, as it was Coyle who broke through for the game’s first goal with a shorthanded strike.

    And on a night where Coyle lost 12 of his 20 battles at the dot, it was his defensive-zone faceoff game that remained strong, with wins in six of his 12 defensive-zone draws. Again, that matters.

  • More on the Bruins

    – Bruins add another center to the pipeline

    – PODCAST: The Sports Hub Underground with Matt Dolloff & Ty Anderson

    – Why last week’s win over the Panthers mattered more than most

  • First Star: Linus Ullmark

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) makes a save during the third period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

    Apr 2, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) makes a save during the third period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. (Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports)

    Just an absolutely absurd game from Linus Ullmark.

    On the board with his second shutout of the season, Ullmark was by far the B’s best player in the winning effort, and had to be exactly that from start to finish in this one.

    The 31-save shutout put an end to what was a two-game losing streak for Ullmark, but continued what’s been a strong post-deadline run, with four wins and a .950 save percentage in six outings since he reportedly refused to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a trade out of Boston.

Ryan Beaton is a producer and content creator for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Ryan was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2021, studying Broadcast Journalism. Ryan started his radio career in college as a play-by-play announcer/producer for WMUA 91.1 FM. He produces multiple weekend shows, including: 98.5 Over/Under, Hockey Show, and Sunday Kickoff. He is also a part of the Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots Radio Network. His favorite sports are Mixed Martial Arts, Football, and Basketball. Ryan enjoys playing golf but is NOT good at it. Ryan writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

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