The Boston Bruins have decided to end their goalie rotation ahead of a pivotal Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 27.
The Bruins alternated Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in the first three games, but after Ullmark lost in Game 2, and Swayman being 2-0 this series, Boston decided to start Swayman for Game 4.
The plan for the Bruins entering the playoffs was to continue alternating their goalies, but after Game 3, head coach Jim Montgomery said the decision became tougher.
“We’re going to have more rest, head coach Jim Montgomery said, via NHL.com. “But both goalies, the rotation’s been so good for us. So it’s a hard decision.”
In the Game 2 loss for Boston, which Ullmark started, Montgomery didn’t put any blame on his goalie:
“No second guesses,” Montgomery said after Monday’s loss. “(Ullmark) was terrific. He made multiple big-time saves. It’s a strength of our team. Both of them played really well. We only scored two goals.”
In the playoffs, Swayman is 2-0 with a 1.51 GAA and a .955 SV%, while Ullmark is 0-1 with a 3.08 GAA and a .912 SV%.
Jeremy Swayman Wants to Start Every Game
Swayman has been vocal that he wants to start every game, including the playoffs.
After the Bruins beat the Maple Leafs in Game 3, Swayman called to start Game 4, despite the original plan being a rotation.
“I think for me, personally, I don’t want rest,” Swayman said on April 25. “I just want to keep playing. I think no matter when I get the call, whether it’s back-to-back or every other game, I want to make sure my body’s ready and I’m ready to perform at my best.”
Swayman said regardless if he plays the next game or not, his goal is to do whatever he can to help Boston win.
“Any time I get a chance to play, I’m gonna do whatever I can to help this team win. Whether it’s back-to-back or every other game, I’m just really grateful every time I do get a chance, and that’s all I worry about,” Swayman added.
The last time Swayman played back-to-back games was on February 19 and 21st.
Bruins Look to Take Control of Series
Boston can take a stranglehold of their playoff series against Toronto in Game 4 on April 27.
The Bruins currently lead the series 2-1, and if Boston can win Game 4, the Bruins would take a commanding 3-1 series lead and need to win just one more game to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Game 4 is a huge one. Going up 3-1 or coming back home 2-2, that’s a drastic change in the series. The desperation for both teams should be extremely high, which normally makes it an intense game. If we expect to win that, we’re going to have to have by far our best game of the series,” Brad Marchand said, via NHL.com.
“We know they’re gonna compete harder than they did the last few games and they were good, they were competing extremely hard. They’re playing very physical, they’re not giving us a ton. We have to continue to battle and improve. I said this before, but they’re not the same team. They’re extremely tough to play out there. It’s not fun game by any means,” Marchand added.
Game 4 is set to take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 8 p.m. Eastern time on April 27.
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