BOSTON — For all of the conversations, speculation, radio time and column inches spent on the topic, which goalie Jim Montgomery chooses to start for the Bruins in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs is not actually important.
It’s interesting and fun to speculate on. The fact that the coach is playing coy on the topic has increased the suspense, but at the end of the day, it’s not going to be what decides whether the Bruins move on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman give the Bruins pretty close to equal chances to win Game 1 or Game 2 and all of them after that. Unless one of them isn’t healthy — which was certainly the case with Ullmark last year — they’re both top-tier goalies. Ullmark might give up one goal on a shot that Swayman would have stopped early but then block an attempt that would have eluded Swayman later. The goaltending tandem is why the Bruins had a better-than-expected year and their best hope for making a deep playoff run. That’s true with either guy.
Goaltending is obviously important. It’s vital to have great puck-stoppers in the playoffs. The Bruins’ two guys have goals-against averages (Swayman – 2.53, Ullmark – 2.58) and save percentages (.916 vs. 9.15) are remarkably close to each other. There’s an easy argument to be made for playing either one or going with a rotation. It’s like choosing an Italian restaurant in the North End. It’s pretty hard to go wrong.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe’s pick is critical. He needs to figure out which of his guys might outplay their mediocre regular-season numbers. In Toronto’s last four games, Ilya Samsonov has given up 11 goals in two starts. Joseph Woll gave up four to Florida and Martin Jones allowed six against Tampa. None of that says “Put me in coach.” If either Bruins goalie was a Leaf, he’d be the unquestioned No. 1. It’s Keefe, not Montgomery, who has the tough call.
Whether the Bruins win the series or not will be decided by guys with normal-sized sticks.
Boston’s success or failure will come based on whether they move the puck out of their own zone effectively. Can the defense, which was expected to be a strength coming into this season, live up to its potential? Can they shut down Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, etc.? Can they get the puck out of their own end effectively and avoid the critical turnovers that have cost them this season? Can they hold onto leads late and avoid the late collapses and slow starts that cost them games over the course of the year?
The Bruins need to control pucks and get inside. They have to win battles and be physical. They need Pat Maroon to find his old playoff mojo and for guys like Andrew Peeke or maybe Parker Wotherspoon to discover theirs.
They will need guys other than David Pastrnak or Brad Marchand to provide offense.
Trent Frederic and James van Riemsdyk each slumped down the stretch. When the Bruins were playing like the best team in the NHL earlier in the year, Frederic looked like an evolving power forward and van Riemsdyk, who was playing on a one-year, $1 million contract, looked like one of the biggest bargains in the NHL.
Frederic did set career highs in goals (18), assists (22) and points (40) this season. But the 26-year-old had been on pace to shatter his prior bests until March. Just two of those goals and three assists came after March 1. Van Riemsdyk was slowed by illness late in the year but will enter the postseason in droughts of 14 games without a point and 21 without a goal.
Jake DeBrusk always seems to be in a hot streak or a cold one. He had one goal in his last 10 games to close the regular season chilly. Of his 19 goals, 15 have come in victories. The Bruins are better when he’s scoring. Getting any one of Frederic, DeBrusk or van Riemsdyk going makes the Bruins much more formidable.
Boston needs its power play which showed signs of life against Ottawa to be a factor against Toronto and they need to stay out of the penalty box and keep Toronto’s lethal power play off the ice.
Goaltending isn’t even on the list of concerns.
So Montgomery can look at stats, consult goalie coach Bob Essensa or just flip a coin and then send whoever to man the crease. Either one will give the Bruins a good chance to win.
