The Bruins know they’ll be without their captain Friday night in Game 3 against the Panthers. They might also be without their starting goalie.
Boston netminder Linus Ullmark is a game-time decision against Florida, B’s coach Jim Montgomery told reporters Friday morning. If Ullmark can’t go, Jeremy Swayman would start between the pipes for the Bruins.
It might make sense for the Bruins to just roll with Swayman either way. Boston used a goalie rotation for just about the entire season. Ullmark did play more, but Swayman still made 33 starts in the regular season, going 24-6-4 with a 2.27 goals against average and .920 save percentage. There should be no reservations about turning things over to the 24-year-old, regardless of Ullmark’s health.
It’s unclear what Ullmark is dealing with, but he left the Bruins’ April 11 game with some sort of injury. The Bruins called the move precautionary, and he played again down the stretch before starting the first two games of the playoffs. Ullmark shined in the Bruins’ Game 1 win before coming back to earth in the second game, a 6-3 loss.
The Bruins will be without center Patrice Bergeron on Friday night, too. He’s expected to miss both games in Florida, but the team is hopeful he could return for Game 5 in Boston.
