Bruins end goalie rotation, start Jeremy Swayman in Game 4
UPDATE: Jeremy Swayman is now officially starting Game 4 after leading the Bruins onto the ice for warmups in Toronto. Original story below.
It appears the Bruins' playoff goalie rotation is over, at least for Saturday night's Game 4 against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
According to reporters on the scene, Jeremy Swayman was in the visitor's net and was the first goalie off the ice at Saturday's morning skate, generally a clear indication of which goalie is starting that night.
And if all that wasn't enough, WEEI's Rich "Scoops" Keefe tweeted Saturday afternoon that Swayman will be the starter.
The Bruins rotated goalies for the vast majority of the last two regular seasons to great success, and they did carry that rotation into the first three games of this best-of-seven first-round series, with Swayman starting Game 1, Linus Ullmark Game 2, and Swayman Game 3.
Ullmark played well in Game 2 and was not the reason the Bruins lost that game, but they nonetheless did lose. On the other hand, the Leafs have not beaten Swayman all season.
Swayman has won both of his starts in this series and is now 5-0-0 against Toronto this season with a sparkling .957 save percentage. At some point, that kind of dominance becomes impossible to ignore, even for the biggest supporters of the rotation (a group that includes this reporter).
One argument in support of continuing the rotation would be that perhaps Swayman playing every other game rather than every game is part of the reason he's been able to be at the top of his game each time out.
That argument is negated a bit by the schedule, though. The Bruins had two days off between Games 3 and 4, and will have two more off after Saturday before Game 5 on Tuesday. Swayman shouldn't have any problem staying fresh with those breaks built in.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery did not name his Game 4 starter in his press conference after morning skate, but unless this is the ultimate playoff fake-out, all signs point to it being Swayman.
