The Bruins aren’t likely to make any announcement until they have to, but they could be considering whether to reinstate the team’s goalie rotation for their second-round series against Florida, which begins Monday at 8 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena.
Many of the reasons that pointed to Jeremy Swayman playing very well against the Maple Leafs similarly apply to Linus Ullmark, who has a terrific track record against the Panthers, both over his career and this season.
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Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said it was a good problem to have.
“It’s been a strength of our team. Jeremy got momentum on his side in this series and ran with it. We had a plan in place and performance and results were going to dictate how we were going to react and will continue to do that,” Sweeney said. “We’ll put both players in the best position we possibly can to move forward and help our team win each and every game. We’ll monitor where Jeremy is coming off an amazing high. We’re confident in both goaltenders.”
Reasons to consider using Ullmark in the series:
- In his career against Florida in the regular season, Ullmark 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. Swayman is 1-1-1 with a 3.69 GAA and a .875 save percentage in his career.
- Ullmark was 3-0 with a .947 save percentage and a 1.62 goals-against average against Florida in 2023-24. One of the reasons it made sense to go with Swayman against Toronto was his history of success against them this season. Ullmark has similarly dominated the Panthers. Swayman earned the win but gave up three goals on 21 shots in his only start against them this year.
- Ullmark hasn’t shown rust issues coming off long stretches without playing. He shut out the Canucks after 12 days off following the All-Star break.
- Ullmark was actually very good against Toronto in Game 2. If the Bruins had played as well in front of him as they did in front of Swayman in Game 1, the series might have been over quicker than it was.
- If he plays in Game 1, Swayman will have played six games in 13 days with four flights mixed in. At some point, fatigue could set in. Giving him at least one game off could allow him to recharge.
Reason not to go back to it:
- Swayman was outstanding against the Maple Leafs. Taking him out risks breaking up his rhythm. He was 4-2 vs. Toronto with a 1.49 GAA and a .950 save percentage in the first round.
- Starting Swayman is the safe unassailable move. If he plays and struggles, it won’t look like the wrong decision because of how well he’d been going. Starting Ullmark would be a heavily scrutinized move, especially if he struggles or the Bruins lose.
- Ullmark was 3-3 with a 3.34 goals against average and an .896 save percentage in the playoffs last year vs. Florida. He was rumored to be battling an undisclosed injury.
