NHL announces complete schedule for Bruins-Maple Leafs series
For the fourth time since 2013, but for the first time since 2019, it will be the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And with so much uncertainty entering the final days of the regular season, the NHL could only confirm the first game of the series for what felt like days, with Game 1 slated for 8 p.m. at TD Garden this Saturday.
But Friday morning has come with the rest of the schedule released by the NHL, with the series running through Apr. 27 at the very least, and with the potential to run through May 4 should it go the distance as it did in 2013, 2018, and 2019.
The full schedule goes as follows, including TV details, and with all radio broadcasts heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub…
Game 1: Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. (TD Garden | TV: NESN, TBS, truTV, MAX, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS)
Game 2: Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. (TD Garden | TV: NESN, ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS)
Game 3: Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. (Scotiabank Arena | TV: NESN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS, ESPN)
Game 4: Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m. (Scotiabank Arena | TV: NESN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVAS, TBS, truTV, MAX)
Game 5: Tuesday, April 30 at TBD (TD Garden)
Game 6: Thursday, May 2 at TBD (Scotiabank Arena)
Game 7: Saturday, May 4 at TBD (TD Garden)
Don Sweeney touches on the Bruins' plans in net for the playoffs
Dec 2, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) brings the puck in front of Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark (35) in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. (Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports)
If this is about riding the hot hand, or the goaltender who’s been better since the trade deadline, you’d have to think that the Ullmark would be the leader in the clubhouse for the role of Game 1 starter.
Going back to the Bruins’ strict commitment to the rotation going back to Feb. 21, Ullmark’s .919 save percentage over that span ranks 10th-best among a group of 53 NHL goaltenders with at least 10 appearances. Swayman and his .902 save percentage over that same span, meanwhile, ranks 30th out of 53.
And though Ullmark’s regular season may have ended with a bit of a stinker, as he allowed two goals on just 19 shots in a loss to Ottawa this past Tuesday, there’s no denying the impact Ullmark made during what was no doubt the B’s best stretch of the season, with two wins and a .956 save percentage over a three-start stretch that featured head-to-heads with the Lightning, Predators, and then the Panthers.
Nov 2, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) after an overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
But if this is about the matchup, it just so happens that Swayman’s rather up-and-down season — when he was up, he was absolutely electric and when he was down it was sometimes a bit of a rough watch — featured some downright phenomenal outings against the Maple Leafs.
In three showdowns with the Leafs this season, the 25-year-old Swayman posted a 3-0-0 record, and turned aside 93 of the 97 shots he faced, good for a .959 save percentage. One could also make the case that Swayman’s best appearances post-All Star break have come against Toronto, with a 32-of-33 performance against Toronto on Mar. 4 and a 28-of-29 outing against the club just three nights later.
Swayman has made a late-season push in the Boston goal, too, with a 2-2-0 record and two goals or fewer surrendered in three of those four outings. That four-game sample has also come with a .919 save percentage for No. 1.
Oct 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) celebrate their win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. (David Banks/USA TODAY Sports)
As for how the Bruins will manage things, it feels like a rotation is the way to go. As noted, the Bruins have not given either goaltender consecutive starts since Swayman got the Feb. 19 game against Dallas and Feb. 21 start in Edmonton. The Bruins have also been mindful of how effective that one-two punch has been in goal for them, particularly when they’ve kept it as a one-two punch in that order and not melted their own brains by overthinking it.
And not for nothing, but Jim Montgomery seemed to verbally commit to a playoff rotation earlier this season. He walked that commitment back a bit in the days and weeks that followed, but the idea flowed enough for Montgomery to share what it would potentially look like, with Montgomery noting that he would likely give each goaltender two starts in the first four games of a playoff series before deciding his next move should the rotation indeed be their plan.
But, again, secrecy (and flexibility) remains the name of the game with Game 1 just two sleeps away.
“We’re very comfortable with both goaltenders,” Sweeney reiterated. “They know the plan as to what we’re going to do, and our team is very comfortable with both goaltenders. So, performance and results may change what our approach looks like, but we know what the plan is going into the playoffs.”
