The Boston Bruins’ plan to rotate goalies between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark has come under scrutiny following their Game 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite the team’s initial intentions, their performance on the ice will now determine who starts in net.
The Bruins’ inability to generate quality scoring chances against Toronto’s defense has compounded their woes. Granted, it’s challenging for any offense to gain traction when its puck carriers are struggling in the defensive zone and neutral ice. As in their shocking first-round exit last spring at the hands of the Panthers, the Bruins’ breakout has labored against the Maple Leafs’ forecheck, with hurried passes and ill-advised feeds often leading to Grade A shots on Ullmark.
For all of the warts on Toronto’s roster, especially on defense, the Leafs have enough firepower to shred even the sturdiest netminder. Both Ullmark and Swayman have been up to the task against Toronto, but the skaters in front of them have not been as reliable, especially in Game 2.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged that the team’s urgency was lacking in Game 2, and even if he had opted to play Swayman, the result likely would have been the same. Toronto held a whopping 37-17 edge in scoring chances and a 14-7 advantage in high-danger looks.
Strong goaltending has buoyed the Bruins all season, at times masking a D-zone structure prone to coughing up quality chances around the slot. The Bruins ranked fifth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.70), but they also allowed 11.42 five-on-five high-danger scoring chances per contest, ranking 24th and last among the 16 teams that made the playoffs.
Pucks flung off into no man’s land, missed clears, and careless play through the neutral zone can make life miserable for a defense. Against a team as potent as the Maple Leafs, it can put you on the mat in short order.
A breakdown at the net-front between Brandon Carlo and Hampus Lindholm in the first period gave Max Domi ample time to jam home his rebound past Ullmark, just 14 seconds after Morgan Geekie’s goal had put the Bruins ahead. A whiffed clearing attempt by Jake DeBrusk and Kevin Shattenkirk’s missed opportunity to drop to the ice for a block led to John Tavares firing home a power-play tally in the second period.
The Bruins still hold a sizable advantage in net in this series, whether it’s Swayman or Ullmark. An emphasis on fighting toward inside ice should aid their efforts in landing more punches against Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov. But if they don’t tighten up their transition game and cut down on time spent in their own zone, a goalie rotation will hold little sway over their efforts to punch a ticket to the second round.
