Bruins have their Game 4 starter
For the first time since Feb. 21, the Bruins’ every-other rotation in net has been broken, as Jeremy Swayman appears in line for his second straight start for the Black and Gold.
Swayman’s projected start ends what was a 29-game rotation between he and Linus Ullmark if you include the first three games of the team’s first-round series with the Maple Leafs.
1️⃣ at the front. pic.twitter.com/UcvXSaPIrH
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 27, 2024
In goal for two of three games in this series, the 25-year-old Swayman has been absolute nails for the Bruins in his outings thus far, with a 35-of-36 effort in a Game 1 win and a 28-of-30 performance in Game 3.
It’s been enough to give Swayman a playoff-best .955 save percentage, and if you include Swayman’s regular season figures, the Alaskan-born netminder is now 5-0-0 with a .963 save percentage in five head-to-heads with the Leafs this season.
You have to wonder how the extra day of rest between Games 3 and 4 factored into this decision for the Bruins, as it makes this two starts in four days for Swayman opposed to two starts in three days.
The latter has been relatively uncommon for any B’s netminder in 2023-24, but a ‘two days in four days’ stretch is more normal given the number of three-in-fours over the course of the regular season. And Swayman is more than familiar with such a routine, with Saturday expected to be Swayman’s 12th different segment of making two starts in four days this season.
First string of two straight starts for Swayman since Feb. 19 and Feb. 21 vs. Dallas and at Edmonton. Extra day of rest seems huge, making this 12th segment of two starts in four days for Swayman in 2023-24. https://t.co/8BZVsEgQwh
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 27, 2024
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, will stick with Ilya Samsonov in their net.
3 Stars: Brad Marchand puts Bruins on his back for Game 3 win
Third Star: Trent Frederic
Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic (11) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Wednesday night in Toronto featured a milestone of sorts for the Bruins’ Trent Frederic, as he scored his second career playoff goal, but his first on actual goaltender after scoring an empty-net goal in Boston’s Game 1 win.
Trent Frederic quickly ties it up for the Bruins! 🐻 pic.twitter.com/zXBhF3b83A
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 25, 2024Frederic’s goal was definitely one that Toronto netminder Ilya Samsonov should’ve stopped, but Frederic’s ability to keep playing while Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi were engaged in some blue line chaos (which almost appeared to make the Leafs stop playing) and stun the Leafs in that moment was a gigantic goal for the Bruins in that moment.
Frederic also came through with some absolute fantastic work behind the Leaf net on Brad Marchand’s game-winning goal, even if it didn’t come with an assist for No. 11.
Second Star: Jeremy Swayman
Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) makes a save on Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi (59) during the third period of game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)
After making 35 saves in Boston’s Game 1 win and then watching from the bench in Game 2, Jeremy Swayman was given the nod for a Game 3 showdown with the Maple Leafs, and dazzled once again, this time with a 28-of-30 effort.
Swayman remained his calming presence in goal, too, even with pure chaos around him throughout the night, as the Maple Leafs continued to drive to high-danger areas. Swayman was especially impressive from that area in the third period of play, with Toronto throwing the kitchen sink at him in search of the putaway and/or game-tying markers.
And as was the case in Game 1, Swayman’s ability to track the puck through traffic and come through with key puck freezes has been perhaps his biggest strength in this series. It’s downright flustering the Leafs, too, as you’re seeing them look skyward after every near-goal and cover by a sprawling Swayman. All while he’s just smilin’ and remaining true to who he’s been throughout this season, even with the pressure at its highest.
Through two starts this series, the 25-year-old Swayman has turned aside 22 of the 25 high-danger shots he’s faced at all-situation play, according to NaturalStatTrick.
First Star: Brad Marchand
Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) carries the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
If you were scrolling Twitter/X on Wednesday night, there’s no dancing around the fact that sometime around the midway point of Game 3, the rumbling and grumbling around Brad Marchand and his play was getting a little loud. It just didn’t feel like Marchand was giving the Bruins enough at the offensive end of the rink. Especially when you’ve watched him all year and seen the way he can flip a game on its head like it’s nothin’.
But yet another tie-up with the Leafs’ Tyler Bertuzzi may have done enough to woke a sleeping 5-foot-9 giant, as it not only led to Boston’s first goal of the evening, but activated Marchand’s full ‘sicko mode’, with the Boston captain on the ice for all four of the Black and Gold’s goals in the comeback victory.
It was all timely, too, with Marchand’s game-winning tally coming just 28 seconds after Bertuzzi tied things up, while his empty-net goal came after yet another dust-up with Bertuzzi.
