Speaking on Friday, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery wouldn’t reveal his Game 4 starter, but he did say that the Bruins remain committed to their previously-established plan in goal. That’s been a common refrain from the Bruins leading up to the playoffs and through the first three games of their first-round series, but what exactly that plan entails has remained a mystery.
The possibility that Montgomery tipped his hand regarding the Bruins’ plans in goal remains there. Towards the end of the regular season, Montgomery was asked about how a playoff rotation would work and noted that it would almost certainly go 1-1-1-1 before it became more performance-based than anything else. Through three games, it’s played how Montgomery said it would back then, and it’s entirely possible that that’ll remain the case for Saturday’s Game 4 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Mar 4, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) goes to pass the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)
Given that competitive fire, it’s no shock that Swayman doesn’t exactly want to return to spectator status.
“Personally, I don’t want rest,” Swayman admitted after Game 3. “I just want to keep playing.”
Swayman also made it clear that his hunger for more is not satisfied by getting two of the first three starts.
Swayman answering (I think) @AmalieBenjamin question about whether or he feels done enough to earn second straight start: “Never. I’m never gonna expect anything. I’m gonna earn it. That’s all I care about.” https://t.co/BffmjV5wY0
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 25, 2024This mindset is what you want out of your goalie in a series where the offensive talent clearly favors the opponent.
But where this call truly gets interesting — and why I feel like the Bruins have to lean on Swayman in Game 4 — is when you look at the rest factor at play here. While Montgomery is not happy about spending more time in Toronto than Boston, the extra day of rest between Games 3 and 4 could be huge for Swayman.
It seemingly breaks up the worries one would have about Swayman making two starts in three days, and a two-in-four stretch is absolutely more doable when you look at the number of three-in-fours the Bruins have over the course of a season. In fact, Swayman had made two starts in four days on 11 separate occasions over the course of the 2023-24 season. This is not a backbreaking workload.
And when it comes to consecutive starts, while it’s something Swayman has not dince since a 37-of-42 effort in Edmonton back on Feb. 21, it’s worth noting that Swayman has (for the most part) been strong in start No. 2, with five wins and a .925 save percentage in six such starts this season.
In case the people missed the numbers, Swayman in the second start when getting consecutive starts this season: Five wins and a .925SV% in six games, including five straight victories. https://t.co/SOqCsGp0FM
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 25, 2024
Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN;Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak (88) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrate a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in game three of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)
The numbers are there, the mentality is there, and if there’s a time to go for the knockout punch, it feels like it’s now.
A road sweep in Toronto would set the Bruins up for a potential elimination of the rival Leafs in Game 5. It would also come with another extended rest for the club, with Game 5 in Boston set for Tuesday night, meaning that Swayman & Co. would get yet another break (by typical playoff schedule standards, anyway) in there.
And that would play a factor in my decision to go with Swayman if I’m the Bruins.
If the Bruins were to go back to Linus Ullmark in Game 4, that means that the white-hot Swayman would have sat for almost a full week from Wednesday’s Game 3 to Tuesday’s Game 5 in Boston. While the idea of extra rest is always nice, there could be some ‘rust’ there as well. And, to be honest, when a goalie is playing well, sitting him and running the rust risk seems like a downright dangerous idea. Especially if it doesn’t pan out and Ullmark suffers a series-tying loss.
With a team boasting as much firepower as the Leafs (and with William Nylander expected back action), I’m just not sure that that’s a worthwhile gamble for the B’s to make behind enemy lines.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 26: Linus Ullmark #35 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on February 26, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Of course, there’s a flipside to this plan, even if it does seem like a no brainer upon first glance.
If the Bruins break the rotation for the first time in over two months and the Leafs defeat Swayman, well, the mental block is now gone and it’s now a best of three with a reloaded Toronto having wins over both Boston netminders. Compare that to if the Bruins were to turn to Ullmark in a Game 4 win, the B’s would have now defeated Toronto with both of their goaltenders and set themselves up for a potential knockout party in Boston.
Turning to Ullmark for Game 4 may have also been the plan from the jump, and there’s the potential that turning away from him now upsets the proverbial apple cart and loses him for the remainder of this series for one reason or another. Namely the fact that turning back to him for a Game 5 would come with over a week of rest. (Given Ullmark’s numbers against both the Panthers and Lightning, I’m not sure the Bruins want to risk ‘losing’ him just yet.)
But if Friday told us anything, the Bruins already have their plan in place.
And it’s simply about the waiting.
