SUNRISE, Fla. — After giving up the fourth unanswered goal by the Panthers less than two minutes into the third period, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman headed to the bench for the rest of the game as Linus Ullmark took over.
Swayman was hardly the reason for the Bruins’ struggles, but changing goalies does a few things for Jim Montgomery and the Bruins:
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In the best-case scenario for Boston, a goalie swap will sometimes spark a team. Down 4-1, the Bruins certainly needed a spark. Swayman had 20 saves before taking a seat.
Montgomery has mentioned that the team is monitoring Swayman’s fatigue level. Seven straight starts is unprecedented for him. Letting him rest the remainder of the game would give him extra recovery time before Friday’s Game 3 in Boston.
Or if Montgomery chooses to start Ullmark in Game 3, the goalie won’t be going in rusty. Ullmark hadn’t played a game in 16 days before Wednesday. Now he’d be in rhythm.
Ullmark has thrived against Florida in the regular season in his career. He is 12-3-1 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average. He has more wins over the Panthers than any other team in his career. Ullmark was 3-0 with a .947 save percentage and a 1.62 goals-against average against Florida in 2023-24.
