SUNRISE, Fla. — Bruins coach Jim Montgomery pulled Jeremy Swayman, but didn’t blame his goalie for Boston’s 6-1 Game 2 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday.
Swayman had put up absurdly good numbers in six games vs. Toronto and Game 1 against the Panthers. He was 5-2 with a 1.42 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. But he allowed four goals before leaving less than two minutes into the third period. Linus Ullmark gave two more in the 6-1 loss.
Fanatics Sportsbook
10X$100 BONUS BET
BET MATCH BONUS
Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, KY ,MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV); (888) 789-7777 or ccpg.org (CT); 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA); (800) 327-5050 or gamblinghelpline.org (MA), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1800gambler.net (WV)
Montgomery didn’t think seven straight starts had worn down his goalie.
“The workload didn’t play into Jeremy Swayman. It played into our effort tonight. We didn’t have juice tonight,” he said. “Swayman was terrific. I thought about taking him out at 3-1 going into the third. Then the fourth one went in and I thought, ‘I’m taking him out now.’ He made two great saves before it went in.”
Swayman had 20 saves through two periods. Ullmark stopped eight in the third period.
Taking Swayman out at that point had two results that could help the Bruins in Game 3. It gave Swayman a little extra rest and allowed Ullmark not to be rusty should the Bruins choose to start him in Game 3. Ullmark hadn’t played a game in 16 days before Wednesday.
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.
