Bruins

“Obviously, performance and winning in the playoffs dictates a lot of decision-making.”

With just four regular-season games left on the docket, Jim Montgomery and the Bruins have some decisions to make.

The most pressing call revolves around Boston’s plan between the pipes with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.

Boston has achieved plenty of regular-season success over the last two years by allocating even reps between both netminders. But the playoffs are an entirely different animal — which might have prompted Montgomery and his staff to deviate from that script against Florida last spring.

The Bruins’ goalie rotation fell to the wayside during the team’s crushing first-round exit last year, with Ullmark logging six straight starts before Swayman was thrown into the fire in Game 7.

The Bruins seemed to have learned their lesson this season, with Ullmark and Swayman now staying the course and alternating starts for the past 20 games.

But if Montgomery remains resolute on his plan to utilize both Ullmark and Swayman in the postseason, what could that unconventional approach actually look like during a best-of-seven series? 

“I think if we commit to a rotation, it’s gonna be Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 — if that’s what we end up deciding, and then we can go from there,” Montgomery noted ahead of Boston’s matinee matchup against the Panthers on Saturday. “I mean, obviously, performance and winning in the playoffs dictates a lot of decision-making, but this is what we’re comfortable doing. It’s what our goalies are used to preparing (for). So we’ll see what ends up happening.”

Montgomery has a good problem on his hands when it comes to splitting up reps between Ullmark and Swayman. Following Boston’s 3-2 overtime win over Florida, Ullmark is now 5-2-0 in his last seven games with a .948 save percentage.

Swayman has won his last three starts, including an impressive 28-save performance in a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes on Thursday. 

Of course, it’s easy to speak of the benefits of a goalie rotation in the final weeks of the regular season. But it’s a much tougher task to actually see such a strategy through while riding the ups and downs that come during a heated playoff series.

Based on Montgomery’s comments, the Bruins might be willing to switch off goalies for the first four games of a series. But what happens if Ullmark gets the nod in Game 1 and posts a 40-save shutout? Would the Bruins really opt to switch things up with Swayman in Game 2, or would they decide to ride the hot hand with Ullmark?

The Bruins could go for a more results-based approach with their two goalies — choosing to change netminders following a loss. For example, a switch to Swayman after either a Game 2 or Game 5 loss in that first-round series against Florida might have changed Boston’s fortunes during that failed playoff push.

If Ullmark gets Game 1 and keeps on winning, the net is his. If he falters or the Bruins come up short? Switch to Swayman to try and stem the tide — and spark some added fire in Ullmark as he tries to reclaim the net.

There’s no set gameplan for Boston to follow in terms of executing their unorthodox plan in net. But after straying from their formula last April, it doesn’t seem like Montgomery has any plan of rolling with one goalie for a significant stretch during this upcoming Cup run.

“It’s hard when you win Game 1 — if you do win Game 1, to switch,” Montgomery said. “But if you’re committed to it, it’s the way you think your goaltenders have had tremendous success the last two years. … As we all know, results really matter and they’re immediate in the playoffs.”