Which Bruins will spend last month auditioning for playoff role | Vautour

On multiple occasions, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has said his team has been focused on preparing for the playoffs since March 1.

For some players that means fighting for a roster spot. There’s been much discussion about who’ll be in goal for the postseason, but who’ll be on the third defense pair and fourth-line wings is similarly up in the air.

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Montgomery likes tinkering with combinations and mixing and matching hoping to spark his team. There could be a lot of that over Boston’s last 10 games. Here’s a look at who is playing to keep playing:

Linus Ullmark/Jeremy Swayman — There’s not much regular season left, but it is still too early for Montgomery to make any real decisions about who’ll be in goal for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs and perhaps more importantly/interestingly Game 2.

Either goalie is capable of shining, slumping and shining again in the time between now and the postseason. This race bears watching, but it hasn’t reached the final backstretch yet.

Justin Brazeau — He’s replaced Matt Poitras as the fun-story guy who has exceeded expectations. Can he keep doing it or is there a wall coming? Right now Brazeau looks like he’s still getting better. His goals in back-to-back games are showing increased confidence and skill.

Physically, he’s an ideal playoff piece to have and he’s showing more skill the more confident he gets. Pat Maroon would have to look really good to take a spot away from Brazeau if things stay on course.

Pat Maroon — Obviously, he has to get on the ice first. It’s unclear how close the trade deadline addition who is recovering from back surgery is to doing that. If Brazeau is missing something in his game, it’s snarl. Maroon has it. There have been times in recent Bruins’ losses that sending Maroon out to agitate might have been something that sparked Boston when they needed it. Add to that the experience that comes with being on three Stanley Cup winners and it would be a surprise if Maroon doesn’t get a chance if he’s healthy enough.

Andrew Peeke — There are eight skaters for six spots on the Bruins’ defense. But with Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm and likely Matt Grzelcyk locked into the top four spots, it’s probably four guys for two spots. Montgomery has moved guys in and out of the third pair all season.

The last month of the regular season will be big for Peeke to get proficient in the Bruins’ system and earn Montgomery’s trust.

Parker Wotherspoon — In many ways, Wotherspoon isn’t auditioning as much as he’s the baseline. The Bruins know what he is. As a third-pair defenseman, he’s reliable in his own end and he’s physical. He doesn’t make as many plays or as many mistakes as Lohrei on the left side and has been effective when playing on the right. For anyone else to earn playing time, they have to be better than he is.

Mason Lohrei — Of the four competitors for the last sports, Lohrei has both the highest ceiling and lowest floor. He’s a good playmaker and can contribute to the offense, but is still making rookie mistakes sometimes in his own end. A strong month could go a long way toward quieting those concerns.

Kevin Shattenkirk — He’s played in 85 career playoff games which is 85 more than Wotherspoon, Lohrei and Peeke combined. But that only goes so far. He may have helped himself with a strong effort on his off side against Ottawa, but he’s often been a healthy scratch this season.

Johnny Beecher — His faceoff skills would be valuable in the playoffs and he’s been a solid penalty killer. But the rest of his game has been inconsistent. But Montgomery has been disinclined to trust him in key spots and sat him for much of the third period of the Bruins loss to the Rangers.

Jakub Lauko – On his best days, Lauko is fast, physical and hard to play against. Sometimes he even adds some offense. His speed helps counteract Brazeau’s lack of it when they’re lined together on the fourth line. But he hasn’t been as consistently disruptive as the Bruins would like and that’s kept him out of the lineup at times. He and Beecher are likely competing for the same spot if everyone else is healthy.

Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424

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