Now the Bruins' goalie situation really gets interesting
Back on April 6, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery outlined what a potential playoff goalie rotation could look like.
"I think if we commit to a rotation, it's gonna be Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 if that's what we end up deciding, and then we can go from there," he said.
Montgomery did decide to rotate goalies for the first two games of the Bruins' best-of-seven series against the Maple Leafs. Now things really get interesting, as we're about to find out if he actually keeps it going through Game 4.
It's a tough call. Jeremy Swayman was very good once again in the Bruins' 4-2 win in Game 3 Wednesday night in Toronto. He stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced. His best moment came on the penalty kill early in the third period when he made back-to-back point-blank saves on Tyler Bertuzzi and then covered the puck in traffic.
Swayman has won both of his starts in this series. He is now 5-0-0 against the Leafs this season with a sparkling .957 save percentage.
"He's been terrific," Montgomery said. "I just loved his compete level and his quickness. When it went 3-2, right after that, there was a barrage of rebounds. I think Bertuzzi had two of the chances, but there was two more it seemed like, and he was just square to the puck and he's fighting and he finds it. Like, it inspires the bench."
Linus Ullmark played very well in Game 2. He was not the reason, or even one of the reasons, the Bruins lost that game. He by no means played himself out of a rotation.
And yet, the Bruins did lose that game, and they have not lost any of the games that Swayman has started against Toronto all season. Swayman's dominance over the Leafs is getting harder and harder to ignore, even for the biggest supporters of the rotation.
The counter-argument would be that the rotation could be part of the reason Swayman has been able to look so strong each time out. Perhaps he would not have been as sharp in Game 3 if it were his third straight start and not just his second start in three games.
That claim, in turn, can be countered by the upcoming schedule. The series takes two days off before Game 4 on Saturday, and then two more off before Game 5 on Tuesday. There should be enough rest built in even for a goalie who's not used to playing consecutive games.
Swayman, as you would expect, wants to keep playing.
"I think for me, personally, I don't want rest. I just want to keep playing," he said after Wednesday's win.
Asked if he believes he's earned a second straight start, Swayman was more diplomatic and said he's not taking anything for granted.
"Never. I'm never going to expect anything," he said. "I'm going to earn it, so that's all I care about."
Montgomery has opted against sharing any of his goaltending plans ahead of time. Assuming that remains the case, we'll all have to wait until pregame warmups Saturday night to find out if he thinks Swayman has earned that second straight start, or if he's still committed to the rotation.
