Bruins have win-win situation in goal for Panthers series
It’s impossible to go away from “Sway.”
But what if they did?
The Boston Bruins have the best overall goaltending situation in the National Hockey League as we hit the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, buoyed by Jeremy Swayman’s hot hand and armed with an elite “backup” in Linus Ullmark. Swayman enters Sunday with the best playoff goals against average and save percentage (1.49/.950) among goalies with at least four starts in the first round, and head coach Jim Montgomery sounds like he’d hesitate to take him out of the net in round 2 against the Florida Panthers.
“He was our best player in the series, it’s not close,” head coach Jim Montgomery said of Swayman after the game. “His confidence and his swagger, I think it permeated through the group. Took a while, but he got there.”
On the surface, it’s a no-brainer for the Bruins to keep rolling Swayman against the Panthers. Montgomery would be bold not to lead out with No. 1.
But here’s why there’s a more-than-zero chance of Ullmark going between the pipes again: he was the clear top option in goal against Florida in the regular season. Ullmark went 3-0 against the Panthers with a 1.62 GAA and .947 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Swayman allowed three goals and lost in his only start against the Bruins’ 2023 playoff nemesis. He would be coming off an overtime game and making his fourth start in seven days.
MORE: Jeremy Swayman projects calmness, confidence for Bruins
Ullmark, unlike a year ago, is healthy. Perhaps rusty, at this point. But fresh. At the very least, it may be wise for the Bruins to split the first two games like they did against Toronto, and go from there. The B’s are playing with house money at this point, anyway. The Panthers, as of Sunday, are -180 to win the series at the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Swayman thrived in the Toronto series by living in the moment, and the rest of the Bruins followed suit. So it’s likely he hasn’t even thought that much about the Panthers just yet.
“Every chance we get to touch the ice is a gift, and we should celebrate it and do everything we can to help us win,” Swayman said after Game 7 Saturday night.
The Bruins have about the best problem to have in the entire league at the moment. Which very-good-if-not-elite goaltender gets the nod? Swayman looks and feels like the guy for now, but if the B’s have to go away from him for any reason, they know they have the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in tow, and a guy who proved to be on top of his game against Florida earlier in the season.
Let the speculation begin.
