Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Should the Bruins go with Jeremy Swayman in Game 7? Weighing the pros and cons of a season-deciding goalie switch
"When it comes to Jeremy Swayman, he is the most confident individual that I know."
Jim Montgomery and the Bruins are stuck between a rock and a hard place ahead of a decisive Game 7 on Sunday night.
And unfortunately, it’s a roster-related headache of their own doing.
Linus Ullmark, the Vezina Trophy frontrunner all season long, has been mortal between the pipes for the Bruins as of late.
The veteran goalie has relinquished 10 goals and posted an .824 save percentage in Games 5 and 6 against the Panthers — two back-breaking losses that have forced a winner-take-all bout on Sunday at TD Garden.
Ullmark, who holds a .889 save percentage, has fallen into a rut at a critical stage on the league calendar. Be it injury, fatigue, or an ill-timed regression to the mean, he simply hasn’t been good enough against an opportunistic Panthers team that can bury teams in a hurry.
Advertisement:
Of course, the Bruins have the luxury of turning to a stellar backup in Jeremy Swayman.
But so far in this series, Montgomery and the B’s have yet to crack the glass and utilize Swayman in various momentum-shifting scenarios.
Swayman was stout in net over the final months of regular-season play. But after opting not to give their young goalie a start earlier in this series, it’s a tough ask to roll the 24-year-old netminder out in a do-or-die Game 7.
Still, it doesn’t seem like Montgomery and the Bruins have any hesitancy about turning to Swayman in order to keep their season alive.
Advertisement:
“When it comes to Jeremy Swayman, he is the most confident individual that I know,” Montgomery said on Saturday. “So, he’s kind of like, you give the ball to [Roger] Clemens to go win Game 7 on the mound. You’re down in the last two minutes, and Tom Brady’s got the ball, you like your chances. If it’s Swayman that’s in net, I have the utmost confidence in him.”
So should the Bruins start Swayman in the net for Game 7? Let’s look at the pros and cons of a potential season-saving (or ending) goalie tweak.
Pro: Ullmark seems to be trending in the wrong direction
Montgomery didn’t exactly mince words when asked what might prompt Ullmark’s absence in a Game 7.
“Linus didn’t make enough stops. That would be the reason to make a switch. Plain and simple,” Montgomery said.
It remains to be seen what exactly is ailing Ullmark going into Game 7. Ullmark has continued to brush aside questions regarding his health, but the optics out on the ice stand in stark contrast to his comments.
Since getting pulled from Boston’s regular-season win over the Capitals on April 11, Ullmark has not looked 100 percent. The 29-year-old goalie has skipped morning skate twice already in this series, and was tabbed as a game-time decision ahead of Game 3 by Montgomery.
Advertisement:
Montgomery even opened the door for Swayman to get the nod in Game 4, but Boston hasn’t strayed from rolling out Ullmark for six straight games — leading to middling returns as this first-round series carried on.
Friday’s 7-5 defeat represented a new low for the Bruins, who likely would have punched their ticket to the next round if it wasn’t for a porous showing from their goalie and D corps. Ullmark had an expected goals against rate of 3.41 in Game 6. He gave up six total tallies — and coughed up a slew of juicy rebounds.
Whatever the case may be, Ullmark is not playing up to his lofty standards.
Pro: Swayman offers a higher ceiling at this stage of the series
Of course, Ullmark’s sterling track record during regular-season play (40-6-1, .938 save percentage) might give the Bruins pause in terms of yanking him from the lineup.
But the postseason is a completely clean slate — and Swayman is an impressive goalie in his own right.
Once the calendar flipped to 2023 during the regular season, Ullmark posted a 20-5-0 record and a .937 save percentage over his final 25 games.
Swayman during that same stretch? 17-3-1 with a .932 save percentage and four shutouts.
Advertisement:
On the season, Swayman ranks fourth overall among NHL goalies (min. 1000 minutes of action) in save percentage on high-danger shots (.862).
Ullmark has been Boston’s top option in net all season long. But Swayman is far more than just a standard backup option, especially with Ullmark playing at this current level.
Con: Swayman is going in cold
The Bruins stacked up wins during the regular season by deploying a consistent goalie rotation between Ullmark and Swayman.
But since the Stanley Cup Playoffs commenced, the Bruins have shuttered that even allocation in reps — opting to ride Ullmark as the No. 1 option between the pipes.
That sudden departure from Boston’s tried-and-true structure has been disastrous for all involved.
Ullmark seems worn down by playing six games in 12 days, but Swayman has been ice-cold since the regular season concluded.
In a do-over, the Bruins likely should have slotted in Swayman for a start in between Games 4-6 — a prudent roster tweak that would both shake off some rust for the young goalie and give Ullmark some much-needed rest.
Instead, Swayman has logged just 3:11 of action in this series, earning mop-up duty in Game 4 after Ullmark’s attempted heavyweight bout with Matthew Tkachuk. His last start came all the way back on April 13 during Boston’s regular-season finale.
If Swayman gets the nod in Game 7, it will be a 17-day gap between starts for the goalie.
That’s a less-than-ideal lead-in for any goalie, especially against a team like Florida that thrives off peppering the net and carrying pucks down low.
Con: The pressure falls all on Swayman’s shoulders
Montgomery has stressed that the Bruins have full confidence in Swayman’s ability to deliver in Game 7.
Advertisement:
Swayman has rarely been rattled during his short time up in the NHL, whether it be his baptism by fire in 2021 as a rookie or starting five of seven games against Carolina in last year’s playoffs.
Still, it’s an awful lot to put on Swayman’s shoulders if his first postseason start in 2023 falls on Game 7.
To put it lightly, Sunday’s showdown against the Panthers is not just a season-deciding contest.
It’s potentially a legacy-defining outcome — given the stakes involved with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s futures, along with the pressure that comes with a record-setting win total.
There’s a lot on the line at TD Garden on Sunday night, and it all might come down to a 24-year-old netminder who hasn’t started a game in over two weeks.
At this point, he might be Boston’s best option.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com