No matter who you think should start Game 2 in goal for the Bruins, you’re right.
That’s honestly the simplest way to break it down.
Two nights removed from Jeremy Swayman’s 35-of-36 performance in a Game 1 win, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery began Monday by admitting that he’s not going to directly tell you who will get the net in Game 2. Instead, he found a new way to say nothing, noting that the Black and Gold’s starting goaltender tonight has two vowels in his first and last name. Such an answer tells you that it could be either Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman, in case you didn’t know.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins takes a break during a stop in play in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on January 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Including the playoffs, the Bruins have gone back and forth between Swayman and Ullmark for 27 straight games. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a shutout, or an absurd individual night where the goalie was the only true reason that the Bruins escaped the sheet with a win, it’s been back-and-forth between these guys for 27 straight games. Or, if you want to include Game 1 in the sample size, just under 33 percent of the entire season. That means an awful lot, and truly makes it feel like anything can happen when the Bruins take to the ice for their pregame warmup tonight.
By all accounts, the Bruins have committed themselves to the rotation.
But they’ve also left themselves a clear and obvious out at every stop and turn.
When the Bruins decided to go with Swayman for Game 1, it wasn’t just because it was his turn in the rotation after Ullmark got the nod in the final game of the regular season. Internally, the Bruins wanted to give Swayman a clean record from a series standpoint before turning to him. They went to him in Game 3 in 2022 after Linus Ullmark dropped the first two games of their first-round series and they put Swayman in a borderline impossible spot a year ago when he was given the nod for Game 7 for his first start of the series and his first game action in over two weeks.
There’s something to be said for turning to Swayman off the jump and seeing if he can run with it. And that possibility is why the Bruins have always said “performance and results will dictate a lot of this” whenever anybody has tried to pin them down and get them to admit that they will implement a strict rotation in goal.
Jan 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) puts on his mask during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
To me, Swayman has absolutely earned a second straight nod in the cage.
But there’s also something to be said for the last time the Bruins felt this way and what happened.
In what was an incredible game from the 25-year-old, Swayman made a season-high 43 saves and outlasted the Stars’ Jake Oettinger in what was a nine-round shootout to give the Bruins a 4-3 win over the Stars on Feb. 19. The performance was enough to earn Swayman a second straight start, this time in Edmonton and two nights after the Dallas win. The head-to-head with the Oilers brought about a different kind of night from Swayman, who even in a winning effort was tagged for five goals on 42 shots, and let in a couple of leaky-looking goals along the way.
Over that two-game spell, Swayman was hit with a staggering 26 high-danger shots at all-situational play, and that game in Edmonton saw Swayman allow goals on five of the 13 high-danger shots thrown his way. The Leafs, in case you were curious, hammered 16 high-danger looks on Swayman in their Game 1 loss. It’s entirely possible that a similar kind of effort from Toronto would lead to a similar comedown for Swayman given both the difficult of such a workload two times in three days and the natural goal-scoring prowess of this Toronto squad.
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)
And one could argue that the Bruins’ ability to offset potential workload troubles by alternating goaltenders has been their greatest strength of the 2023-24 season. And why the Bruins could turn to Ullmark without a worry in Game 2.
Since the Bruins have committed to the strict rotation in late February, Ullmark’s .919 save percentage is the fifth-best among a group of 37 goalies with at least 700 minutes played. Ullmark has also posted 6.06 goals saved above average, which was the 8th-best figure among that group of 37.
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, 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 span that featured head-to-heads with the Lightning, Predators, and then the Panthers.
The Bruins should by no means be spooked out of playing Ullmark with a 1-0 series lead.
Mar 4, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins back-up goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) congratulates goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) after a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports)
But what the Bruins should ultimately do is stick with Swayman for Game 2.
Getting a victory in Game 1 has put the Bruins in a dream spot here.
Sticking with the guy who thrived in Game 1 puts the Bruins in the driver’s seat for sticking with him, and adheres to the idea that it should be Goalie X’s net until he loses a game, which would then allow you to turn a fresh Goalie Y with the team still in an advantageous spot. This exact scenario is why the Bruins have opted not to outright commit to a strict rotation on the record. There was never any sense in working yourself into a spot — and a spot you may not have liked for any number of reasons — simply because you goofed up and said it out loud.
Which goalie should the Bruins start in Game 2?@_TyAnderson joins Felger on Sports Sunday to break it down pic.twitter.com/1uEdcWmYHL
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) April 22, 2024Instead, the Bruins are in a spot where they can ride the hot hand from Game 1 in a spot that still plays to their strength.
Should the Bruins stick with Swayman in Game 2 and lose, their Game 3 decision has been made for them because odds are they would’ve gone to Ullmark in Game 3 anyway. And should the Bruins stick with Swayman and win, well then now things get interesting for the Bruins in the sense that they either stick with Swayman and go for the jugular by sticking with the guy the Maple Leafs haven’t been able to solve or give Ullmark a Game 3 start where they can either beat all hope out of Toronto by beating them (while keeping Ullmark game ready and Swayman fresh) with two different goalies or give them slight hope with a Game 3 victory before turning back to Swayman in Game 4.
But what exactly the plan is will remain a complete mystery for all but three hours on Monday night.
