For the first time since 2020, the Boston Bruins have made it out of the first round of the playoffs. It was certainly a close one, and hats off to the Toronto Maple Leafs on playing a tough series and coming back from being down 3-1 to force an anxiety-inducing Game 7 for both fan bases. The Bruins were able to come out on top thanks to a third-period goal from Hampus Lindholm to tie the game at 1-1 and then an overtime winner from the team’s top goal scorer from the regular season, David Pastrnak.
Related: Bruins vs. Panthers: The Playoff Rematch the NHL Needed
It is clear to anyone who watched the series that the Bruins’ MVP was not Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, or Charlie McAvoy, the names one has come to expect when talking about the top players on the roster. No, the MVP for this series and the only reason they are moving on to face the Florida Panthers in Round 2 is Jeremy Swayman. Head coach Jim Montgomery said it best, “He was our best player in the series; it’s not close.”
Dropping the Goalie Rotation
Going into the first round, the Bruins decided to continue with the goaltender rotation they’ve had the whole season. With two goalies coming off of strong seasons in Swayman, who had a .916 save percentage (SV%) and 2.53 goals-against average (GAA), and Linus Ullmark, who finished with a .915 SV% and a 2.57 GAA, it made sense to keep the rotation. It was an essential part of the winning formula during the 2023-24 regular season and there was initially no reason to deviate from it.
Swayman played excellent in Game 1, continuing his win streak against the Maple Leafs after winning all three of the games he started against them during the season. Then as planned, Ullmark went in for Game 2, which ended up being a loss. Now, he wasn’t particularly bad in that game as he had a .912 SV% and 34 saves.
But after another terrific performance by Swayman in Game 3, it made sense to break from the rotation and go with him again in Game 4, and subsequently the rest of the series. He was by far the best player and kept the Bruins competitive for Games 5 and 6 much longer than they should have been given how the guys were performing in front of him. He finishes the first round with a .950 SV% and 1.49 GAA. He is arguably the strongest goaltender in the postseason right now.
Last season, Montgomery was criticized for his decisions in goal and playing Ullmark for the first six games against the Panthers despite the fact he was not playing to the same…
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