Jim Montgomery Explains If Bruins Will Keep Goalie Rotation In Postseason

The Boston Bruins head into the final month of the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are gearing up for the playoffs.

Prior to the NHL trade deadline on March 8, Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark heard his name floated around rumors that Boston was shopping him. Whether or not Ullmark vetoed a potential trade with the 16-team no-trade clause in his contract remains to be seen, but regardless he’s “happy” to be with the Bruins.

With arguably the best goalie tandem in the NHL, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has had the luxury of rotating Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman through the entire regular season.

With only 15 games remaining, the Bruins might try and give the goalies back-to-back starts instead of the traditional one-in, one-off Boston has adopted.

“We have a bit more rest now in our schedule after a heavy load of games,” Montgomery told reporters before the Bruins took on the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, per the team. “Might make more sense a little bit, but we also worry then that a goalie might not get in for almost six to seven days.”

If the Bruins do opt to give goalies two consecutive starts down the stretch, what does that mean for the playoffs? Montgomery said at this time, the team hasn’t made the decision.

“I don’t have a definitive answer on that,” Montgomery told reporters ahead of Boston’s matchup with the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, per the team. “You might go two games in a row with one goalie if we keep doing it and rotate after that.”

Montgomery added: “When you start winning in the playoffs, it makes it harder to switch; lineup and goaltender, but that’s something we’re going to have to discuss internally. We know if you go with a platoon the whole year, switching in and switching out, you can’t expect one guy to ride the emotions of the playoffs by themselves.”

The second-year bench boss recognizes how different the postseason differs from the regular season.

“You can’t emulate the intensity and the emotional drainage of the playoffs,” Montgomery explained. “That’s what makes it difficult. We can sit here and say we’re going to ride one guy, but you got to get into battle and see how guys are doing.”

The Bruins utilized the tandem during their record-setting regular season in 2022-23 but rode Ullmark in the first round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Boston squandered the 3-1 series lead and the Panthers moved through the Eastern Conference, ultimately falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

It might bode the Bruins well to stick with the formula that’s been successful in two regular seasons instead of trying something new.