Bruins give glimpse as to how playoff goalie rotation would work
The will they or won’t they in regards to the idea of rotating goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs remains the top question facing the Bruins and second-year head coach Jim Montgomery.
The prevailing feeling among most this season has been that the Bruins will give the net to both goaltenders this postseason. Montgomery even seemed to indicate as much back in January, though he’s walked that commitment back a bit in the days since.
One of the biggest secondary questions that’s often come up when discussing this possibility is just how the Bruins would manage the goaltenders. Would it be a strict every-other rotation (The Marc Bertrand Odds & Evens Theory, if you will) or would it be more ‘feel’ based for Montgomery and the rest of the B’s coaching staff and management team?
That will remain an unknown until Games 1 and 2 of the B’s first-round series, but if the Bruins are to commit to the thing they’ve abandoned in the first two postseasons of the Swayman-Ullmark tandem, Montgomery seemingly has an idea how it’ll go.
“I think if we commit to a rotation, it’s gonna be Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, [then] Game 4 if that’s what we end up deciding and then we can go from there,” Montgomery revealed this past weekend. “I mean, obviously, performance and winning in the playoffs dictates a lot of decision-making, but this is what we’re comfortable doing. It’s what our goalies are used to preparing.”
In essence, the Bruins would willingly go back-and-forth through the first four games of a series (almost) no matter the results.
The idea of a hard rotation is a dangerous game to play, though, and Montgomery knows as much.
“We’ll see what what ends up happening. It’s hard when you win Game 1 — if you do win Game 1, to switch,” Montgomery admitted. “But if you’re committed to it, and it’s the way you think your goaltenders have had tremendous success the last two years, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to switch. But as we all know, results really matter and they’re immediate in the playoffs.”
More on the Bruins
– Bruins continue to add NCAA free agents to pipeline
– Danton Heinen earns 2024 Masterton nod
– B’s provide first update on Justin Brazeau
Now, as for the idea of the Bruins beginning the playoffs with the rotation in effect, it feels worth mentioning that the Bruins have gone with a rotation for the last 22 games. The last time the Bruins gave a goaltender consecutive starts came back on Feb. 19 and Feb. 21, when Swayman was given the home start against the Stars and then the road start against the Oilers. Swayman stopped 43-of-46 and helped win a marathon shootout in the Stars in that first outing, but was much shakier in the second game, with five goals on 42 shots in an overtime win over the Oilers. Since then, it’s been back-and-forth between Swayman and Ullmark.
One can also make the case that Ullmark has been the better netminder of the two over that 22-game tug hug of war, with a 5-3-3 record and .925 save percentage for Ullmark compared to a .902 save percentage for Swayman despite an 8-2-1 record.
And among the group of 35 goalies with at least 600 minutes of time on ice over that span, Ullmark’s .925 ranks second, while Swayman’s .902 is tied for 21st. Ullmark has also posted a high-danger save percentage of .835 (eighth-best among that group), while Swayman’s .744 high-danger save percentage over that span is 34th out of 35, ahead of only Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry (.729).
Beyond the obvious of the Black and Gold’s fate resting on the success of the goaltending tandem that’s by all means carried them this season, and the pressure on Montgomery to not wait until it’s too late to make a change in goal, this is also a massive, massive postseason for both Swayman and Ullmark.
In the case of Swayman, the 25-year-old is looking to cement his status as the future of the Boston crease, and earn a big-money extension in the process. Another ‘meh’ playoff showing — Swayman has a 3-4 record and .901 save percentage in his playoff career — could cast some doubt on that. Ullmark, meanwhile, is trying to show that he can be the same goalie he is in the regular season in the playoffs, which has been a struggle, with a .925 regular-season save percentage as a Bruin and .888 playoff save percentage. Ullmark may also have some extra motivation after the Bruins reportedly tried to move him at the 2024 trade deadline.
Both goaltenders, in theory, could be playing for their futures with the Bruins. And that may also be true for Montgomery to a certain degree, as he can’t afford to completely bungle the structure that’s clearly worked so well for his goalies and his team.
So perhaps getting ahead of it with a plan some two weeks before the playoffs is indeed the way to go.
(Click here to subscribe to the Sports Hub Underground podcast.)
Matt & Ty are back with a new episode of sports talk and a marathon “Big 3.”
(0:35) Opening banter on school lunches and more.
(13:50) Thoughts on the Boston Bruins’ recent performance and the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs.
(36:43) Ty argues why the Patriots should draft wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first round.
(52:27) The guys hold a marathon “Big 3” in which they draft their favorite places that are no longer around.
Subscribe to the Sports Hub Underground wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple: https://apple.co/3AICTPR
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3j5ibDR
Google: http://bit.ly/38pPKIG
More options: https://bit.ly/3tSKABs
