Ty Anderson: Right now, I’d start Linus Ullmark in Game 1
On Wednesday’s edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub broke down why Linus Ullmark would be his Game 1 starter right now.
It has to be Ullmark in Game 1…
Phil Perry: If the playoffs started tonight, who are you starting?
Ty Anderson: Linus Ullmark. He’s earned it. I think it’s a bit of a bad look for Swayman… and maybe that’s too strong, but if Swayman loses the Game 1 job for the second time in three years, because he had it in 2022 he had it after February, and then he lost it. He had an .890 over the final two months of the season. That’s a rough look, man. That happens two times in three years and you want to get your big payday. Now it may not matter, because I’m telling you they’re going to go with both goaltenders. I think the approach is, it’s your net until you lose a game, and then you go to the other guy and then you see what he has, and then you go from there. But right now, it’s got to be Linus Ullmark in Game one. It has to be. He looks so dialed in right now.
Phil Perry: Is that a healthy way to do it? You lose and you’re out. Well, if you get the net back, it’s fine, right? But if you don’t get the net back, well, that’s because the other guy just went on a massive run.
Scott Zolak: That’s what you’re looking for.
Ty Anderson: Right. You need one of these guys to break through. Like it’s been two postseasons now with this tandem. Neither one has looked particularly excellent in the playoffs. I will admit that they did not put Jeremy Swayman in the best spot last year. If they could have a redo. Game five is when you put them in, but still it’s been 8playoff games now I believe or 7 with a .901 save percentage. It’s not good enough and so they just need one of these guys to break through. I really don’t care who it is. I think you’re going to see both of them. But one of them has to break through for this team if they’re going to get out of the first round.
Feb 22, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Listen to the full segment!
Bruins slated to debut a new-look defensive pairing vs. Senators
Mar 16, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Danton Heinen (43) is congratulated by defenseman Andrew Peeke (52) after scoring a goal during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
And though this is just one night and things can change by Thursday night against the Rangers, it does appear that Peeke is going to be a near-constant (or a straight-up constant) in Boston’s lineup down the stretch.
There’s also no real reason for the Bruins to even consider sitting the 6-foot-3 Peeke right now.
Operating with an obviously microscopic sample size through just two games with the Bruins, Peeke has racked up six blocks and four hits, and even had a primary helper on Johnny Beecher’s goal last Saturday against the Flyers.
Hereeeeeee's Johnnyyyyy. pic.twitter.com/87k2s2Ea1R
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 17, 2024Beyond the obvious of the Bruins trading a third-round pick, as well as Peeke’s $2.75 million contract for this year (and another two after that), Peeke should be a constant in Montgomery’s lineup.
With Derek Forbort out of action and done for the season, the Bruins need another defenseman they can rely on for some hard, defensive-zone minutes. The Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo pairing has been asked to do that for the majority of the season, and they’ve performed well in that deployment, but the Bruins also can’t burn ’em out before the postseason, and they can’t be out there for every defensive-zone situation.
Mar 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Lars Eller (20) controls the puck against Boston Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (12) during the second period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
And how Shattenkirk factors into this is going to be interesting.
When paired together this season, the Forbort-Shattenkirk pairing was perhaps best described as “OK at best.” They weren’t unplayably bad by any stretch, but it never really felt like the duo had any sort of noticable, ‘feed off each other’ kind of chemistry like the Forbort and Connor Clifton had a year ago.
One of four Boston defensive pairings to play at least 190 minutes of five-on-five time together this season, the Fobort-Shattenkirk pairing found themselves on the ice for a team-worst 2.48 goals against per 60. That rate was also the 65th-worst goals against rate among 140 pairings with at least 190 minutes of five-on-five time together.
The 35-year-old Shattenkirk also has the most riding on this competition, you would think. With both Shattenkirk and Peeke being right-shot defensemen, Peeke is the greatest threat to Shattenkirk’s minutes. And the minutes have been hit-or-miss for Shattenkirk of late, with Shattenkirk playing at least 16 minutes in just two of his last 12 outings.
Shattenkirk has also been real up-and-down. But with Peeke being a better skater than Forbort, it’ll be interesting to see if this combo allows the veteran Shattenkirk to maybe take some more offensive chances.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 09: Mason Lohrei #6 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Islanders during the first period at TD Garden on November 09, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The other wild card in the mix here, of course, is Mason Lohrei.
This will Lohrei’s second straight healthy scratch after a what was a 0-0-0 game against the Canadiens last week (Lohrei also posted zeros when it came to hits, blocks, and even shots), and a minus-3 against the Blues in the game before that. But Lohrei has been better on what’s now his third NHL recall, and just looks closer and closer to being ready for a full-time role with this club. Giving Lohrei a run with Peeke could be an interesting combination, as it would allow the offense-first defender to have a relatively strong safety net behind him with the defense-first, block-friendly Peeke.
But if Tuesday, and the last week as a whole actually, tells us anything, it’s that this may be a three-horse race for just one spot in the lineup between Lohrei, Wotherspoon, and Shattenkirk.
Let the games begin.
