At the end of every Boston win, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are the final two Bruins on the ice, celebrating with their patented goalie hug. However, the moment between the two netminders may be more representative of their relationship than just a pair of teammates excited after a victory.
While it’s been unclear in each game of the series against the Toronto Maple Leafs who will be the Bruins’ netminder until right before puck drop, what is clear is that neither Swayman nor Ullmark’s ego is bruised by the decision.
Last season, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy and spent the majority of Boston’s record-breaking season between the pipes. His play dropped in the post-season as he reportedly dealt with an injury limiting his effectiveness through six games as the Bruins blew a 3-1 lead to the Florida Panthers — with Jeremy Swayman not getting a shot in net until Game 7.
This regular season, Boston head coach Jim Montgomery opted for a near 50/50 split, starting Swayman 43 times, compared to 39 for Ullmark.
Swayman finished the season with a 25-10-8 record, a 2.53 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage, leading Montgomery to give him the start in Game 1 of this year’s playoff against the Maple Leafs.
But when Swayman’s dominant performance led to a Game 1 win, questions were raised about if Montgomery would continue riding the rotation where he wouldn’t give either of his goalies three-straight starts or if he would ride the hot hand as he did against the Panthers.
Initially, he turned to Ullmark for Game 2, a loss, before turning back to Swayman, who made 52 saves in the next two games as Boston built a 3-1 series lead over Toronto.
Despite moving to backup duties in the wake of Swayman’s success, Ullmark is prioritizing the Bruins’ chance at advancing over his desire to be on the ice.
“There’s a reason why I’m here today, and it’s not being a sulky little crybaby about not playing or anything like that,” Ullmark told reporters on Monday’s off-day. “I try to stay professional, support the guys throughout the team … go out there every practice, try to play better, try to push people in the way that I can.
“I try to bring that energy and try to do whatever I can when I’m off to the side as much as I do when I’m in the net.”
Ullmark said that there hasn’t been a specific plan in place for who will be tending the crease in the series against Toronto, but that Bruins coaches have communicated well as to who will be starting the next game.
He said all he can do is take things day-by-day and support Swayman when he gets the call.
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“Sway has been playing tremendously. I have a lot of faith in that fella, very happy for him, obviously,” Ullmark said. “That’s what I’ve tried to do as well. Stay positive and supportive of him, because if I don’t support my guy, I’m not supporting the team. And if I’m not supporting the team, I’m not supporting him. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with that sort of situation.”
Even with Swayman picking up all three of Boston’s wins so far in the series, Ullmark has been preparing like he’s the starter regardless of who Montgomery has decided to go with.
“I can’t take any days off. You never know what happens. (You) always hope for the best, expect the worst kind of thing,” he said. “You always have to stay vigilant and stay positive throughout the series. For me, it’s staying in the moment, don’t think about what’s happened, what’s going to happen or anything like that.”
You can watch as the Bruins look to close out the series against Toronto on Tuesday night from TD Garden. Coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
