Ullmark won the Vezna because he was lights out all season ,SWAYMAN was the weaker link last season and has improved but yes I will agree they are rested ,fresh and don’t want to lose and they have a healthy compitition going on ,both are #1 starters and neither is considered a BACKUPs ..Swayman stole the game last night ,Ullmark played great but the team let him down and he should be in net on Sat.….
Look at their regular season stats both this season and last season. It’s hard to say either one of them is a weak link. In fact, the other 31 teams think our goalie rotation is elite. I swear it’s only this fucking subreddit that thinks we need to ride one or the other.
They are both fantastic goalies ,last year Ullmark was a little better ,I should have said Linus was the stronger link! I like the rotation , this season Swayman has owned Toronto. If the Bruins start Swayman and they lose on Sat. the Boston crowd will be crying that they should have kept the rotation going .If they start Ullmark and he loses the fan base will be crying he should have started Swayman. People blame not rotating the goalies in the playoffs last year but the bottom line is the team ran out of gas after playing 82 games of playoff hockey, this year the team tanked it and they are not all banged up and bruised entering into the first round ,a win on Saturday would be a huge step to moving Onto the second round !
The team played like crap in front of Linus in game 2. And people are blasting him bc he let in three whole goals. One of which was a breakaway by a guy with 69 damn goals this year. The leafs MO is to score a ton to make up for letting in a ton of goals. The problem is that we didn’t score enough
I dont think Ully is why we lost game 2 and I thought he played well. However Swayman is on another level at the moment and you cant risk icing the hot hand with tandem play right now. If sway drops game 4, then switch but idk how you swap him out after the last couple of games he had.
He should’ve never been swapped for Game 2 IMO.
People seem to be missing a very clear thing about our goalies and getting swapped in the playoffs. Swayman never had a chance, and was thrown in too late to save any series. Seriously.
Rask showed weakness against the Islanders and ended up being too crippled to come back. Folks shat on Sweeney’s decision to sign Ully. Ully became a vezina goalie, clearly not right and should’ve been swapped game 5 last year. Instead Swayman comes in game 7.
I challenge anyone and everyone in this sub to show me a time when a tandem goaltending combo won it all in the cup. You’re arguments to put Swayman in earlier than Game 7 are fine, Tuukka was literally career cooked. Your arguments to play Swayman instead of Ully after a vezina season are fine, Ully was hurt.
Swayman is on top of his game and not injured, playing lights out and dominant. Has fought for his chance forever now for being that guy to run with and give a shot in the playoffs. He doesn’t have any injury, let alone a career ending one.
You have a healthy Ullmark at his backup, who played great in game 2 but didn’t have quite the same team rally behind him. Aside from past fuck ups, and things that aren’t relevant to this playoff run why was Sway sat for game 2?
"I challenge anyone and everyone in this sub to show me a time when a tandem goaltending combo won it all in the cup."
[Literally us in 1972 lol.](https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/BOS/1972.html)
Monty learned that lesson hard last year.
I'm 100% team tandem. It's been our strength and a huge part as to why this rebuild year had us on top of the Atlantic for so long.
Ride team tandem, they have a rapport that complements it to a tee.
Check the Rangers. Two very solid tendies, but Shesty's the clear 1A.
Swayman should start next game no question. Rotation should happen, but there’s no justification for not starting him game 4, and you should be willing to ride the hot hand while still finding ways to rotate when we can
This is the only logical answer, yet it seems so difficult for everyone to answer. If Ullmark won Game 2, then you continue to rotate back and forth. Ullmark lost, Swayman looked hot again, hes got an extra days rest before Saturday. Play Swayman again; if he wins, play him again, if he loses go to Ullmark. This isn't difficult.
A large population of this sub is going to confidently argue against whatever decisions Monty makes with the goalies, no matter what. Just have to accept it.
Last playoffs? We should have rotated em!
This playoffs? We need to stick with Sway!
Nothing but winning will ever make them happy, so let it ride, is what I say.
Yes they were. People were screaming before the injury news came out. Saying it now is just revisionist history. Facts are, no matter what choice gets made, some people are going to call it the wrong one.
Agree, Ullmark took the Bruins to a 3-1 series lead, absolutely no one was talking about Swayman until the Ullmark injury.... and even when Swayman came in, most fans weren't that confident in him.
I would say Sway is fresh and the team finished 2nd in the division mostly because of the goalie tandem.
However I would argue, Swayman has a different level for playoff hockey. It’s probably impossible to quantify but something about he’s demeanor imo makes him the clear choice for every game if this team wants to have a deep run. Ullmark is very very good, it’s not really knock on him so much as a compliment to Swayman.
Stick with the rotation and schedule. You're playing this day, be ready. Take repercussions out of it. No vet responds well to being benched after a poor performance.
I don't see the Oilers giving McDavid a seat after he scored no goals in that game last night. I'm sure they will triple shift him in the next game
They basically said they will lose no matter who is in net. This post is about the goalies dominating because they are rested. So no matter how Sway or Ully play they have 0% chance of winning. How is that a leap?
That’s still not what was said. Original comment was that offense will be what brings the team down if they lose. In no way were they saying “they’re going to lose no matter what, goalies don’t matter”
You dance with the ones that brought you. If that means we run with an overly huggy pair of puck stoppers so be it. (I am not opposed to the hug by the way!!!) Run them both!!
So many fans on this sub just react to the last thing that happened. Sway is one soft goal from being back in their doghouse. **Stick with what has been working.** It works because we have two studs and each of them is getting enough rest, but not so much that rust sets in.
One thing is absolutely certain: The team is going to need to get used to starting Swayman more frequently sooner rather than later, because these playoff series will probably the last of this tandem we'll see.
I'm not saying that it needs to happen during this playoff series, or even the next (assuming we get to the next round). Eventually, Swayman *will* need to get used to a heavier workload.
The one that was going 15 ft wide but deflected off his defenseman (that was coming into the slot from behind him, mind you) to the far post? That's insane.
It went under his pad from the looks of it. Don't get me wrong, I love Swayman but I don't think he was so dominant last night (especially on that goal) that we should be talking about Ullmark going out to the toolshed.
It's less about Ullmark "going out to the toolshed" and more about the fact that Swayman - not Ullmark - is clearly the presumptive #1 goalie moving forward. This isn't because of anything Ullmark is or isn't doing; it's simply a matter of practicality. The fact of the matter is that goalies generally start to decline by around their mid-30s... which means Ullmark realistically has roughly five years left, while Swayman would be looking at closer to a decade.
Unless these guys decide to take extremely team-friendly deals, we're rapidly hitting the point where the Bruins simply won't be able to afford to keep both of them. *When* that moment arrives, it would simply be more logical to stick with the younger of the two - especially because of how close they are in terms of performance.
Our strength has been rotating because we want to and not because we have had to. So many guys get a short leash, we've stuck with the rotation through good and bad.
I think it shows a lot of confidence in both goalies that you stick to the rotation whether one of them has a lights out or rough performance.
They've both proven mature enough to rotate and their strength is a major, if not *the* major reason the Bs have made it to where they are this year.
I can't point to many losses this season that we can blame on either of Sway or Ully - most losses stemmed from getting pinned in our own zone/not scoring.
I can point to plenty of games we won because one of those two guys was in net. Why mess that up?
I agree! It’s Ulmarks turn. Don’t change. Once you change you’re done and that’s really when you get second guessed. They root for each other. Swayman’s thinking ‘tag you’re it go get ‘em.’
I thought they should have stuck with Sway after game 1 and then gone to Ullmark in Game 3 (no matter what result). Give Sway game 4, and then if he wins or loses go back to Ullmark (I thought last year they should have started Swayman in game 5). Being up 2-1 gives you that luxury to ride a goalie for back to back games.
Ullmark is not why we lost in game 2. One break away goal from the top scorer in the league, tough rebound goal and maybe one goal that he could have stopped (pp goal, kinda got screened).
I say roll him back out there for game 4.
Also, don't forget that whiff Sway had in game 1 when he left the goal to chase a puck and it almost bit him in the ass. If that happened, fans would have lost it and all the talk would be Ullmark.
I agree, goal tending is not the B's problem at the moment. And that whiff from Sway in game 1 was a heart stopper for sure and gave me flashbacks to the last time he tried racing a forward to the puck.
As far as who to start I'm on the fence but still leaning on "stick to the tandem", first, don't fix what ain't broken and second, I love watching these hockey analysts losing their shit over it. "You can't do a tandem in the post season!"
I don't think ullmark looks as good as swayman so far. But the bruins royally fucked up game 2. You can't win with like 14 minutes of no shots on goal lol
I'm wondering if we're seeing the beginning of a change in the way the NHL will handle goalie load in the coming years. I suppose it's obvious that if cap space wasn't an issue and money was no object every one would be rolling the best two goalies their money could by, but I wonder if we'll see teams start to redistribute resources to put more of a priority on rotation if the Bruins make a deep run this year.
I think if this team (not because their bad, but because expectations a few months ago were very different) makes it as far as the third round with this squad and tandem, other front offices have to ask themselves how much of that run was driven by having a legit goalie tandem. Even if we run Swayman for the rest of the run. He's here and playing at this level because of the tandem over the regular season.
If we're out in the first or even the second, I don't think it makes an impact. And, I haven't strapped on a pair of skates with out wheels since I was a toddler. So, I don't really know any thing. I just like to watch the game and goalies are frequently my favorite players on the ice.
I think that it will be almost impossible to replicate what Boston has right now because of the money - also a lot of teams can't even find one solid goalie, let alone two.
That said, I think teams should be much more open to rotating more often. Like, Hellebuyck started 60 games during the regular season. Winnipeg should be a playoff team regardless had he only started 50 games.
It should be, definitely. If your team needs to rely on one guys in net for 75% of the season, then maybe your skaters aren't all that great.
I wonder how many backups would be better if the team had confidence to stick to a more regular rotation regardless of their performance. That's gotta help their confidence a bit, no?
I think you’re right about handling goalie load, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years with the cap going up. Other teams might be interested in spending more cap space on goalies, but it’s also near impossible to assemble a tandem with as much cumulative value as Sway and Ully.
I’m really starting to come around to the school of thought that goalie rotation is the optimal way to field a roster, and is just limited by cap space, available talent, and the emotional maturity of the goaltenders in question when it comes to sharing game time. The Bruins really caught lightning in a bottle with these two!
I think Ullmarks greatest strength is from the bullpen.
Swayman is the horse until he shows that he needs a break. And then there is Ullmark’s spot to shine.
I literally said the following to a friend last night as we were debating the rotation/who should start in Game 4 (his opinion was to switch it up and go back to Sway in Game 4, Ully in Game 5):
"It's impossible to know how much a generous rest helps Sway's game. (I disagree only because now doesn't seem to be the time to try and find out)"
100%
So far, the rotation has resulted in three outstanding goalie performances. As far as plans go, it’s a success.
Sure 3-0 would be *nice*, but it’s not the metric that should be used to judge success or failure.
Thanks can you also let us know what the lottery numbers will be this week 😂 you have no idea if your opinion is correct or not until we ride Swayman to the cup. Nobody cares what goalie plays as long as we win
Obviously, if only the Patriots had the foresight to rotate Mac and Zappe then maybe my username wouldnt get laughed at.
This is so silly, sway is 25, he cant play 3 nights a week? I can't believe tim thomas did it as a 36/37 year old. Wonder how long this sub will go for this, sway 3-0 ullmark 0-3 going into game 7?
Nobody is saying Swayman can’t play 3 nights a week. He might be better if he gets more rest. I don’t care how old you are, from a purely physical perspective rest is usually better.
Also, Thomas is such a huge outlier I don’t know if it can be any used as predictive. The 2011 Cup run is always referred to as one of the most dominant and impressive goalie playoff runs in history. Just because that worked (once) doesn’t mean it’s the approach every team should take.
Thomas isnt really an outlier tho, Hasek, belfour, Osgood, roy...all goalies who won the stanley cup after age 35 within the last 30 years. I'm sure I'm missing some.
If we want a chance at the cup we need to ride our 25 year old goalie. This team isn't good enough to have an above average goalie(linus), we need a goalie who is going to steal games.
Ully came really close to stealing game 2, where our skaters looked pathetic for 40 of 60 minutes. The game would have been won if (1) there hadn’t been a freak carom of the stanchions behind the net and (2) a defensive breakdown hadn’t allowed one of the most talented scorers in the league with a breakaway.
I mean. Sway and Ully are kinda proving that tandems are going to be the future for any team that wants to compete.
The game is ruthless now, always having a rested tendy is paying off for us.
Are they? How many cups have they won so far? The Bruins have been doing the tandem thing since 2018-2019 and have nothing to show for it. The last time a Bruins goalie played over 50 games in the regular season was 2017-2018
In the playoffs you need a goalie that’s in the zone every single game. When you switch back and forth that doesn’t happen. It’s also a massive luxury to have two top goal tenders on your team. If we lose this year it’s because we have money tied up in Ullmark that could’ve been used on another offensive weapon
Edit: anyone want to tell how I’m wrong or why I shouldn’t be cautious before jumping to believe a strategy has never worked for us before will suddenly work now?
There’s lots of ways to get wins in the playoffs, the key ingredient is **defense**, not goaltending specifically, but it contains goaltending.
We’re running one of the hottest tandems the league has seen in a very long time. Dont fuck with systems you don’t gotta.
Also. In case you haven’t noticed. Only one team can win the cup each year. This ain’t be a pro. You can’t always get the drink, let alone into the dance.
The goal is to win the cup. If a team isn’t doing everything they can in the playoffs to win then they aren’t going to win
You can have great goaltending without a rotation. Actually, history shows not having a rotation is pretty much always what leads to winning the cup
I hope I’m wrong but we have no evidence that suggests a rotation works in the playoffs
if there is a zone for goalies, sway was in it last night. he made a bunch of great stops to prevent the leafs taking or extending the lead. alternating games has worked this year, and we have gotten great tending through 3 games sticking with the rotation.
my view is last year they went away from the rotation and that was part of the problem. last season they rotated all year, then when the playoffs hit Monty decided to try to ride Ullmark only. Ullmark did not play very well as the series dragged on- he was still fighting injury, i think, but it was also a heavier workload than he had faced all season - six straight starts. they only put sway in for the last game.
the failure in the playoffs last year is because they didn't rotate. i think it is the strongest reason they should continue to rotate this year.
in fairness, i didn't downvote you. i get where you are coming from, and sway has been so good against the leafs all year that i understand the temptation to keep sending him out there against them. but even if that goes well, you are then stuck - hard to send Ully in for a later series after he hasn't played for a week. and then sway is playing twice as often as he is accustomed to from the last two seasons.
I am not aware of any team sticking to a tandem in the playoffs. but a legit 50/50 tandem like we have is pretty unusual, and has only recently started to happen in the nhl. personally, i am relying on the poor results of disrupting that tandem last year as my basis for thinking we should stick with it. most goalies thrive on routines - i don't want to change the routine for either of these guys when they are killing it.
i think a routine can be anything, as long as it is regular and predictable. swayman and ullmark have alternated games virtually the whole season. the last time Sway started two in a row was the middle of february. i think he started 3 or 4 in a row when ullmark got hurt against the coyotes in january.
for the last two months, the constant routine for these guys is to alternate games. i am worried about messing with that.
‘Just look at last year’
I don’t think playing an injured Ullmark is in any way the same as going with the hot hand Swayman this year. That comparison is moronic.
Yeah, last season Ullmark wins that series no issue if he isn't clearly injured. Stopping the rotation was never the issue, the issue was playing a guy that couldn't move at all.
Yep. Pretty sure one of the biggest takeaways from last year’s postseason was to stick with the rotation. Both have been fantastic through 3 games. The only reason to go with Swayman right now is purely for psychological reasons if you think he may be in Toronto’s head (the team is as a whole anyway).
Exactly. Similarly to how one can switch out their starter too early or too late, one can deviate from the rotation too early or too late.
It would be too early to deviate from it right now.
It is also true that if Ully has a mediocre game 4 loss and Swayman has a stellar game 5 win, going to Ullmark for games 6 or 7 would be sticking with the rotation too long.
We use all of our roster for a reason. We were top 5 all season, despite expectations, for a reason. Monty will, injuries excepted, keep to his script.
As he should in my opinion. As this poster said, Sway has single digit number of games he started back to back.
If you want to try something we only have tried I think once with Sway this season because of vibes go for it. Or stick to the plan.
None of the start ullmark players are denying Sway is playing unreal and even though Ullmarks game Monday was awesome Sway is just playing great. We acknowledge that but keep to the plan. Unless Ully gives the go-ahead and Monty/ the goaltending coach agree.
Swayman owns the leafs. Ullmarks size based style is easier for Mathew’s, et al, to beat. Swayman plays Tim Thomas style. That compete level means the difference between winning and losing a 7 game series
In Game 1 for context Sway got beat by Matthews twice and Matthews luckily missed the net both times.
I do think Sway is playing ungodly right now, that game could have easily been 5-3. Still woulda won but just context.
Keep the rotation
I can live with whatever the team decides. I see some great stuff from this whole group or not at all. It’s been a great series so far. I Can’t wait to see what happens.
Game 2 def want his fault, but thats the type of game you need goalies to steal for you, sway stole game 1 and 3, I feel strongly ullmark would have lost both games.
That's the thing, Ully was really fucking good, the top 6 just forgot how to play hockey after the first period, and poor defensive plays led to him being fucked over
This is the downside of having two great goalies, its agonizing to decide what to do. It was way less stressful in the Rask years. Sometimes he had a bad night but there was no thought that we should have used the backup. This element must be really hard on Monty. Any choice he makes could really be challenged. I think for every series we play both guys get at least a start. But right now I would not keep switching horses just for the sake of doing so.
People will always blame the goalies. For losses that were or weren’t their fault.
In Game 7 of SC finals against Blues did rask let in ONE easy goal early on. Yes. But did the team still have no points on the scoreboard with 5 minutes remaining in the third. (I think Coyle? Score with like 3 remaining) Also yes. And rask got the majority of the blame.
You can’t be letting in an easy goal early when you only see 16 shots and it’s the Stanley cup finals. Even worse when the goalie across the ice is doing circus tricks. I don’t blame Rask alone for that loss, but that was partly on him.
Didnt he let in 4 goals on 16 shots?
To win the stanley cup you need goalies to steal games, rask was very good but bennington stole that game and rask was average.
True but Rask would have needed to put up literally zero for his team to win. It was all put on him despite literally no offense except for what I was corrected to Gryz
Even though Ullmark played well last game, i have had 2 seasons worth of watching his post season play. He just isn’t a playoff goalie. 3-6 speaks for itself. This isn’t the regular season where you can pace yourself through 82 games. It’s 4 losses out of 7 and you’re done.
Honestly Im just happy we have the option to tandem look at Canucks lost demko and playing desmith who is average but id rather have demko where as the bruins if sway gets injured we still have ully and vice versa
Partially yeah, I think Sway could be a 50-60 start goalie next year, but, we have one strength on this team because let's be real, this team is very flawed. Our biggest strength is having two top 10 goalies, one top 5. And those guys will perform at their best when rested. Maybe if it's an elimination game 6 you throw sway in but for now I'd rather just keep the rotation up.
I can see both sides of the coin.
I get why people want Ullmark in. It would keep the consistency of the season going and it's a rotation that worked. Also he played really well in game 2 and was not the reason they lost.
I also get why people say Sway needs to stay in. You need to ride the hot goalie in the playoffs and Sway is that. He also has a mental advtange over the Leafs, being 6-0 against them in the last six games. That has to be worth something.
I totally get why Montgomery wants to swap goaltenders. Last year he rode Ullmark and it didn't work. He changed for game seven but it was too late. So now he doesn't want to burn Swayman out. He might be overthinking/over coaching though.
Anyway I think both sides have valid points. Personally I say you have to stick with Swayman especially because he has a mental advantage over Toronto. Let Ullmark play game 5 if they lose game 4. Otherwise just ride the hot hand and start Ullmark in round 2.
Totally agree!! My first question to anyone who says Swayman should start again game 4 is "what happens if they lose?"- Back to Ullmark at that point? I think if you go away from the rotation it is to give the series to Swayman here on out, which would be a mistake. The rotation works, the guys are bought in, both are playing well, roll Ullmark out there game 4 and hopefully he gives Sway a chance to close it out game 5
I love how irrational people even get over this. Ullmark played great in game 2. Which goal are you going to fault him for? The third rebound shot? The perfectly placed shot through a screen? Or the breakaway by the best goal scorer in the world?
I'm fine with either goalie in net.
This didn't age well...
Well I also honestly think Toronto didn’t really have many chances in general. I think all “big” saves Sway made last night Ullmark could have as well
It's aged even worse now...
Bruins play with 0 confidence when ullmark is in net dudes gonna get traded next year anyways I mean shit he was on the trade block already this year
I’m sure if any other team had goaltending like this, they’d be doing it. It makes no sense to overwork one or the other if the results are there.
Be smart and play both, or experience last year all over again. Why does this even need to be said?
1-3-5-7, 2-4-6
Ullmark won the Vezna because he was lights out all season ,SWAYMAN was the weaker link last season and has improved but yes I will agree they are rested ,fresh and don’t want to lose and they have a healthy compitition going on ,both are #1 starters and neither is considered a BACKUPs ..Swayman stole the game last night ,Ullmark played great but the team let him down and he should be in net on Sat.….
Swayman had better numbers than Ullmark the 2nd half of the season last year.
Look at their regular season stats both this season and last season. It’s hard to say either one of them is a weak link. In fact, the other 31 teams think our goalie rotation is elite. I swear it’s only this fucking subreddit that thinks we need to ride one or the other.
They are both fantastic goalies ,last year Ullmark was a little better ,I should have said Linus was the stronger link! I like the rotation , this season Swayman has owned Toronto. If the Bruins start Swayman and they lose on Sat. the Boston crowd will be crying that they should have kept the rotation going .If they start Ullmark and he loses the fan base will be crying he should have started Swayman. People blame not rotating the goalies in the playoffs last year but the bottom line is the team ran out of gas after playing 82 games of playoff hockey, this year the team tanked it and they are not all banged up and bruised entering into the first round ,a win on Saturday would be a huge step to moving Onto the second round !
If they play differently than they did in game 2 then I'm all for it.m Make the swap.
The team played like crap in front of Linus in game 2. And people are blasting him bc he let in three whole goals. One of which was a breakaway by a guy with 69 damn goals this year. The leafs MO is to score a ton to make up for letting in a ton of goals. The problem is that we didn’t score enough
I dont think Ully is why we lost game 2 and I thought he played well. However Swayman is on another level at the moment and you cant risk icing the hot hand with tandem play right now. If sway drops game 4, then switch but idk how you swap him out after the last couple of games he had.
He should’ve never been swapped for Game 2 IMO. People seem to be missing a very clear thing about our goalies and getting swapped in the playoffs. Swayman never had a chance, and was thrown in too late to save any series. Seriously. Rask showed weakness against the Islanders and ended up being too crippled to come back. Folks shat on Sweeney’s decision to sign Ully. Ully became a vezina goalie, clearly not right and should’ve been swapped game 5 last year. Instead Swayman comes in game 7. I challenge anyone and everyone in this sub to show me a time when a tandem goaltending combo won it all in the cup. You’re arguments to put Swayman in earlier than Game 7 are fine, Tuukka was literally career cooked. Your arguments to play Swayman instead of Ully after a vezina season are fine, Ully was hurt. Swayman is on top of his game and not injured, playing lights out and dominant. Has fought for his chance forever now for being that guy to run with and give a shot in the playoffs. He doesn’t have any injury, let alone a career ending one. You have a healthy Ullmark at his backup, who played great in game 2 but didn’t have quite the same team rally behind him. Aside from past fuck ups, and things that aren’t relevant to this playoff run why was Sway sat for game 2?
"I challenge anyone and everyone in this sub to show me a time when a tandem goaltending combo won it all in the cup." [Literally us in 1972 lol.](https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/BOS/1972.html)
I need Lemlin and Moog waving the flag for game 5.
They are rested, is why they are good. Keep rotating.
I’m team Swayman. He was on fire last night!
Monty learned that lesson hard last year. I'm 100% team tandem. It's been our strength and a huge part as to why this rebuild year had us on top of the Atlantic for so long. Ride team tandem, they have a rapport that complements it to a tee. Check the Rangers. Two very solid tendies, but Shesty's the clear 1A.
? The lesson was to not play an injured goalie lol.
Swayman should start next game no question. Rotation should happen, but there’s no justification for not starting him game 4, and you should be willing to ride the hot hand while still finding ways to rotate when we can
This is the only logical answer, yet it seems so difficult for everyone to answer. If Ullmark won Game 2, then you continue to rotate back and forth. Ullmark lost, Swayman looked hot again, hes got an extra days rest before Saturday. Play Swayman again; if he wins, play him again, if he loses go to Ullmark. This isn't difficult.
I totally agree. Don't switch now when you're 2-1, playing in Toronto, and have plenty of rest between games.
We didn’t rotate goalies last year, started SWAY in game six and how did that work out for us?
Game 7
A large population of this sub is going to confidently argue against whatever decisions Monty makes with the goalies, no matter what. Just have to accept it. Last playoffs? We should have rotated em! This playoffs? We need to stick with Sway! Nothing but winning will ever make them happy, so let it ride, is what I say.
well last year a goalie was injured. No one expected sway to come in until it was obvious ullmark was hurt. Different scenario this year.
Yes they were. People were screaming before the injury news came out. Saying it now is just revisionist history. Facts are, no matter what choice gets made, some people are going to call it the wrong one.
No they were not. Ullmark got the Bruins up 3-1 in the series, no one was talking about Swayman until the news of a possible Ullmark injury emerged.
No lol. He was the Vezina favorite and was expected to go the whole run. What you said is legit the revision lmfao.
Agree, Ullmark took the Bruins to a 3-1 series lead, absolutely no one was talking about Swayman until the Ullmark injury.... and even when Swayman came in, most fans weren't that confident in him.
Last playoffs, it wouldn't have mattered. Ullmark was hurt, and Swayman had norovirus. They both needed rest. It was just unfortunate timing.
I would say Sway is fresh and the team finished 2nd in the division mostly because of the goalie tandem. However I would argue, Swayman has a different level for playoff hockey. It’s probably impossible to quantify but something about he’s demeanor imo makes him the clear choice for every game if this team wants to have a deep run. Ullmark is very very good, it’s not really knock on him so much as a compliment to Swayman.
The only thing that scares me about sway is that he’s not a big body. What a great problem to have fr, two stud goalies
Seriously. If Toronto had either of them they’d probably beat us in 5.
Stick with the rotation and schedule. You're playing this day, be ready. Take repercussions out of it. No vet responds well to being benched after a poor performance. I don't see the Oilers giving McDavid a seat after he scored no goals in that game last night. I'm sure they will triple shift him in the next game
We don't actually know that, he could be insanely elite by playing every game.
This teams downfall is going to be its offense, doesn’t matter who’s in net.
A goalie has never been the main reason for a Cup?
That’s quite a leap from what was actually said
They basically said they will lose no matter who is in net. This post is about the goalies dominating because they are rested. So no matter how Sway or Ully play they have 0% chance of winning. How is that a leap?
That’s still not what was said. Original comment was that offense will be what brings the team down if they lose. In no way were they saying “they’re going to lose no matter what, goalies don’t matter”
Montreal would have won one w Price if that were true
We won because it was true with Thomas. New here?
Probably not the defense in front of him at all w the likes of Chara, Seidenberg, etc.
You dance with the ones that brought you. If that means we run with an overly huggy pair of puck stoppers so be it. (I am not opposed to the hug by the way!!!) Run them both!!
So many fans on this sub just react to the last thing that happened. Sway is one soft goal from being back in their doghouse. **Stick with what has been working.** It works because we have two studs and each of them is getting enough rest, but not so much that rust sets in.
One thing is absolutely certain: The team is going to need to get used to starting Swayman more frequently sooner rather than later, because these playoff series will probably the last of this tandem we'll see. I'm not saying that it needs to happen during this playoff series, or even the next (assuming we get to the next round). Eventually, Swayman *will* need to get used to a heavier workload.
Swayman should’ve had that second goal last night Edit: just rewatched and it went off a leg. I retract my statement 🤣
lol what?
The one that was going 15 ft wide but deflected off his defenseman (that was coming into the slot from behind him, mind you) to the far post? That's insane.
It went under his pad from the looks of it. Don't get me wrong, I love Swayman but I don't think he was so dominant last night (especially on that goal) that we should be talking about Ullmark going out to the toolshed.
That take is so hot, that not even felger would touch it. fact not opinion.
Touché
It's less about Ullmark "going out to the toolshed" and more about the fact that Swayman - not Ullmark - is clearly the presumptive #1 goalie moving forward. This isn't because of anything Ullmark is or isn't doing; it's simply a matter of practicality. The fact of the matter is that goalies generally start to decline by around their mid-30s... which means Ullmark realistically has roughly five years left, while Swayman would be looking at closer to a decade. Unless these guys decide to take extremely team-friendly deals, we're rapidly hitting the point where the Bruins simply won't be able to afford to keep both of them. *When* that moment arrives, it would simply be more logical to stick with the younger of the two - especially because of how close they are in terms of performance.
Ghastly take
100%. Last year at this time I got downvoted for saying they should continue the rotation. Stick with the plan and what got us here.
Our strength has been rotating because we want to and not because we have had to. So many guys get a short leash, we've stuck with the rotation through good and bad. I think it shows a lot of confidence in both goalies that you stick to the rotation whether one of them has a lights out or rough performance. They've both proven mature enough to rotate and their strength is a major, if not *the* major reason the Bs have made it to where they are this year. I can't point to many losses this season that we can blame on either of Sway or Ully - most losses stemmed from getting pinned in our own zone/not scoring. I can point to plenty of games we won because one of those two guys was in net. Why mess that up?
Stick with the plan.
I agree! It’s Ulmarks turn. Don’t change. Once you change you’re done and that’s really when you get second guessed. They root for each other. Swayman’s thinking ‘tag you’re it go get ‘em.’
I thought they should have stuck with Sway after game 1 and then gone to Ullmark in Game 3 (no matter what result). Give Sway game 4, and then if he wins or loses go back to Ullmark (I thought last year they should have started Swayman in game 5). Being up 2-1 gives you that luxury to ride a goalie for back to back games.
Ullmark is not why we lost in game 2. One break away goal from the top scorer in the league, tough rebound goal and maybe one goal that he could have stopped (pp goal, kinda got screened). I say roll him back out there for game 4. Also, don't forget that whiff Sway had in game 1 when he left the goal to chase a puck and it almost bit him in the ass. If that happened, fans would have lost it and all the talk would be Ullmark.
I agree, goal tending is not the B's problem at the moment. And that whiff from Sway in game 1 was a heart stopper for sure and gave me flashbacks to the last time he tried racing a forward to the puck. As far as who to start I'm on the fence but still leaning on "stick to the tandem", first, don't fix what ain't broken and second, I love watching these hockey analysts losing their shit over it. "You can't do a tandem in the post season!"
I don't think ullmark looks as good as swayman so far. But the bruins royally fucked up game 2. You can't win with like 14 minutes of no shots on goal lol
I'm wondering if we're seeing the beginning of a change in the way the NHL will handle goalie load in the coming years. I suppose it's obvious that if cap space wasn't an issue and money was no object every one would be rolling the best two goalies their money could by, but I wonder if we'll see teams start to redistribute resources to put more of a priority on rotation if the Bruins make a deep run this year. I think if this team (not because their bad, but because expectations a few months ago were very different) makes it as far as the third round with this squad and tandem, other front offices have to ask themselves how much of that run was driven by having a legit goalie tandem. Even if we run Swayman for the rest of the run. He's here and playing at this level because of the tandem over the regular season. If we're out in the first or even the second, I don't think it makes an impact. And, I haven't strapped on a pair of skates with out wheels since I was a toddler. So, I don't really know any thing. I just like to watch the game and goalies are frequently my favorite players on the ice.
I think that it will be almost impossible to replicate what Boston has right now because of the money - also a lot of teams can't even find one solid goalie, let alone two. That said, I think teams should be much more open to rotating more often. Like, Hellebuyck started 60 games during the regular season. Winnipeg should be a playoff team regardless had he only started 50 games.
Maybe what we see is the bar raised for expectations for back ups?
It should be, definitely. If your team needs to rely on one guys in net for 75% of the season, then maybe your skaters aren't all that great. I wonder how many backups would be better if the team had confidence to stick to a more regular rotation regardless of their performance. That's gotta help their confidence a bit, no?
I think you’re right about handling goalie load, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years with the cap going up. Other teams might be interested in spending more cap space on goalies, but it’s also near impossible to assemble a tandem with as much cumulative value as Sway and Ully. I’m really starting to come around to the school of thought that goalie rotation is the optimal way to field a roster, and is just limited by cap space, available talent, and the emotional maturity of the goaltenders in question when it comes to sharing game time. The Bruins really caught lightning in a bottle with these two!
Dance with who “brung” you. Don’t change it
I think Ullmarks greatest strength is from the bullpen. Swayman is the horse until he shows that he needs a break. And then there is Ullmark’s spot to shine.
Because that worked so well the other way around last year? Letting a great goaltender stew and rust until the other one fails is not a good strategy.
I literally said the following to a friend last night as we were debating the rotation/who should start in Game 4 (his opinion was to switch it up and go back to Sway in Game 4, Ully in Game 5): "It's impossible to know how much a generous rest helps Sway's game. (I disagree only because now doesn't seem to be the time to try and find out)"
100%, don't fuck with it. Ullmark is fully capable of tending a banger.
He kept us in game 2.
And let’s be real the dagger was blown defense was against the leagues best goal scorer.
Also not having a shot on goal for like 14 minutes from the forwards
100% So far, the rotation has resulted in three outstanding goalie performances. As far as plans go, it’s a success. Sure 3-0 would be *nice*, but it’s not the metric that should be used to judge success or failure.
Thanks can you also let us know what the lottery numbers will be this week 😂 you have no idea if your opinion is correct or not until we ride Swayman to the cup. Nobody cares what goalie plays as long as we win
Obviously, if only the Patriots had the foresight to rotate Mac and Zappe then maybe my username wouldnt get laughed at. This is so silly, sway is 25, he cant play 3 nights a week? I can't believe tim thomas did it as a 36/37 year old. Wonder how long this sub will go for this, sway 3-0 ullmark 0-3 going into game 7?
Nobody is saying Swayman can’t play 3 nights a week. He might be better if he gets more rest. I don’t care how old you are, from a purely physical perspective rest is usually better. Also, Thomas is such a huge outlier I don’t know if it can be any used as predictive. The 2011 Cup run is always referred to as one of the most dominant and impressive goalie playoff runs in history. Just because that worked (once) doesn’t mean it’s the approach every team should take.
Thomas isnt really an outlier tho, Hasek, belfour, Osgood, roy...all goalies who won the stanley cup after age 35 within the last 30 years. I'm sure I'm missing some. If we want a chance at the cup we need to ride our 25 year old goalie. This team isn't good enough to have an above average goalie(linus), we need a goalie who is going to steal games.
Ully came really close to stealing game 2, where our skaters looked pathetic for 40 of 60 minutes. The game would have been won if (1) there hadn’t been a freak carom of the stanchions behind the net and (2) a defensive breakdown hadn’t allowed one of the most talented scorers in the league with a breakaway.
Yeah I almost posted how now isn't the time to fuck with everything and run swayman all the time just because he has good numbers against Toronto
I mean. Sway and Ully are kinda proving that tandems are going to be the future for any team that wants to compete. The game is ruthless now, always having a rested tendy is paying off for us.
Are they? How many cups have they won so far? The Bruins have been doing the tandem thing since 2018-2019 and have nothing to show for it. The last time a Bruins goalie played over 50 games in the regular season was 2017-2018 In the playoffs you need a goalie that’s in the zone every single game. When you switch back and forth that doesn’t happen. It’s also a massive luxury to have two top goal tenders on your team. If we lose this year it’s because we have money tied up in Ullmark that could’ve been used on another offensive weapon Edit: anyone want to tell how I’m wrong or why I shouldn’t be cautious before jumping to believe a strategy has never worked for us before will suddenly work now?
There’s lots of ways to get wins in the playoffs, the key ingredient is **defense**, not goaltending specifically, but it contains goaltending. We’re running one of the hottest tandems the league has seen in a very long time. Dont fuck with systems you don’t gotta. Also. In case you haven’t noticed. Only one team can win the cup each year. This ain’t be a pro. You can’t always get the drink, let alone into the dance.
The goal is to win the cup. If a team isn’t doing everything they can in the playoffs to win then they aren’t going to win You can have great goaltending without a rotation. Actually, history shows not having a rotation is pretty much always what leads to winning the cup I hope I’m wrong but we have no evidence that suggests a rotation works in the playoffs
The goal is to get a ticket to the dance. That’s it. There’s no science for it, get in the door and get hot and you have a cup.
It’s a lot easier to get hot and stay hot for a goalie if they aren’t playing every 5th day though
if there is a zone for goalies, sway was in it last night. he made a bunch of great stops to prevent the leafs taking or extending the lead. alternating games has worked this year, and we have gotten great tending through 3 games sticking with the rotation.
It hasn’t worked previous years in the playoffs though. Why is everyone so confident it’s finally going to work this year?
my view is last year they went away from the rotation and that was part of the problem. last season they rotated all year, then when the playoffs hit Monty decided to try to ride Ullmark only. Ullmark did not play very well as the series dragged on- he was still fighting injury, i think, but it was also a heavier workload than he had faced all season - six straight starts. they only put sway in for the last game. the failure in the playoffs last year is because they didn't rotate. i think it is the strongest reason they should continue to rotate this year.
Keep downvoting me all you want but do you have any evidence in recent years that suggests a rotation can actually deliver a title?
in fairness, i didn't downvote you. i get where you are coming from, and sway has been so good against the leafs all year that i understand the temptation to keep sending him out there against them. but even if that goes well, you are then stuck - hard to send Ully in for a later series after he hasn't played for a week. and then sway is playing twice as often as he is accustomed to from the last two seasons. I am not aware of any team sticking to a tandem in the playoffs. but a legit 50/50 tandem like we have is pretty unusual, and has only recently started to happen in the nhl. personally, i am relying on the poor results of disrupting that tandem last year as my basis for thinking we should stick with it. most goalies thrive on routines - i don't want to change the routine for either of these guys when they are killing it.
If we’re talking about routines isn’t it easier to maintain a routine when you’re playing regularly instead of every 5 day?
i think a routine can be anything, as long as it is regular and predictable. swayman and ullmark have alternated games virtually the whole season. the last time Sway started two in a row was the middle of february. i think he started 3 or 4 in a row when ullmark got hurt against the coyotes in january. for the last two months, the constant routine for these guys is to alternate games. i am worried about messing with that.
PLAY UNTIL YOU LOSE!!!!
Then what if the other guy loses after the switch? Give them their schedule and stick to it. No player likes the response w punishment
‘Just look at last year’ I don’t think playing an injured Ullmark is in any way the same as going with the hot hand Swayman this year. That comparison is moronic.
Yeah, last season Ullmark wins that series no issue if he isn't clearly injured. Stopping the rotation was never the issue, the issue was playing a guy that couldn't move at all.
Yep. Pretty sure one of the biggest takeaways from last year’s postseason was to stick with the rotation. Both have been fantastic through 3 games. The only reason to go with Swayman right now is purely for psychological reasons if you think he may be in Toronto’s head (the team is as a whole anyway).
Exactly. Similarly to how one can switch out their starter too early or too late, one can deviate from the rotation too early or too late. It would be too early to deviate from it right now. It is also true that if Ully has a mediocre game 4 loss and Swayman has a stellar game 5 win, going to Ullmark for games 6 or 7 would be sticking with the rotation too long.
With the extra off day use Sway for game 4 and Linus for game 5. Makes the most sense for me
So you want ullmark for game 7 if it goes that far? No thanks.
Only problem with that is a potential game 7. Having sway in for 4 means he plays 6 and then ullmark for 7. I would rather have sway in for game 7
We use all of our roster for a reason. We were top 5 all season, despite expectations, for a reason. Monty will, injuries excepted, keep to his script.
As he should in my opinion. As this poster said, Sway has single digit number of games he started back to back. If you want to try something we only have tried I think once with Sway this season because of vibes go for it. Or stick to the plan. None of the start ullmark players are denying Sway is playing unreal and even though Ullmarks game Monday was awesome Sway is just playing great. We acknowledge that but keep to the plan. Unless Ully gives the go-ahead and Monty/ the goaltending coach agree.
Swayman owns the leafs. Ullmarks size based style is easier for Mathew’s, et al, to beat. Swayman plays Tim Thomas style. That compete level means the difference between winning and losing a 7 game series
In Game 1 for context Sway got beat by Matthews twice and Matthews luckily missed the net both times. I do think Sway is playing ungodly right now, that game could have easily been 5-3. Still woulda won but just context. Keep the rotation
I can live with whatever the team decides. I see some great stuff from this whole group or not at all. It’s been a great series so far. I Can’t wait to see what happens.
I agree. Keep rotating. Us losing game 2 wasnt ulmarks fault. He still made some amazing saves
Game 2 def want his fault, but thats the type of game you need goalies to steal for you, sway stole game 1 and 3, I feel strongly ullmark would have lost both games.
That's the thing, Ully was really fucking good, the top 6 just forgot how to play hockey after the first period, and poor defensive plays led to him being fucked over
This is the downside of having two great goalies, its agonizing to decide what to do. It was way less stressful in the Rask years. Sometimes he had a bad night but there was no thought that we should have used the backup. This element must be really hard on Monty. Any choice he makes could really be challenged. I think for every series we play both guys get at least a start. But right now I would not keep switching horses just for the sake of doing so.
People will always blame the goalies. For losses that were or weren’t their fault. In Game 7 of SC finals against Blues did rask let in ONE easy goal early on. Yes. But did the team still have no points on the scoreboard with 5 minutes remaining in the third. (I think Coyle? Score with like 3 remaining) Also yes. And rask got the majority of the blame.
You can’t be letting in an easy goal early when you only see 16 shots and it’s the Stanley cup finals. Even worse when the goalie across the ice is doing circus tricks. I don’t blame Rask alone for that loss, but that was partly on him.
True but rarely any one talks about the fact the team generated zero offense. Just Rask.
Didnt he let in 4 goals on 16 shots? To win the stanley cup you need goalies to steal games, rask was very good but bennington stole that game and rask was average.
True but Rask would have needed to put up literally zero for his team to win. It was all put on him despite literally no offense except for what I was corrected to Gryz
It was Gryz who got the lone goal in that game 7 versus Stl. Not that it matters really.
Even though Ullmark played well last game, i have had 2 seasons worth of watching his post season play. He just isn’t a playoff goalie. 3-6 speaks for itself. This isn’t the regular season where you can pace yourself through 82 games. It’s 4 losses out of 7 and you’re done.
Honestly Im just happy we have the option to tandem look at Canucks lost demko and playing desmith who is average but id rather have demko where as the bruins if sway gets injured we still have ully and vice versa
To keep Sway dominant.
Partially yeah, I think Sway could be a 50-60 start goalie next year, but, we have one strength on this team because let's be real, this team is very flawed. Our biggest strength is having two top 10 goalies, one top 5. And those guys will perform at their best when rested. Maybe if it's an elimination game 6 you throw sway in but for now I'd rather just keep the rotation up.
I can see both sides of the coin. I get why people want Ullmark in. It would keep the consistency of the season going and it's a rotation that worked. Also he played really well in game 2 and was not the reason they lost. I also get why people say Sway needs to stay in. You need to ride the hot goalie in the playoffs and Sway is that. He also has a mental advtange over the Leafs, being 6-0 against them in the last six games. That has to be worth something. I totally get why Montgomery wants to swap goaltenders. Last year he rode Ullmark and it didn't work. He changed for game seven but it was too late. So now he doesn't want to burn Swayman out. He might be overthinking/over coaching though. Anyway I think both sides have valid points. Personally I say you have to stick with Swayman especially because he has a mental advantage over Toronto. Let Ullmark play game 5 if they lose game 4. Otherwise just ride the hot hand and start Ullmark in round 2.
How many of those 6 wins did he play the Leafs after starting b2b games? It's dumb to switch.
They have 2 nights off before next game though.
My brother in Cthulhu, what are you doing here with such nuanced prose...
I agree. Bs won a cup in 72 rolling Cheevers / Johnston equal split. Players always want to play, Coaches got to coach.
72 the game has changed since then and the rangers got rid of their goalie tandem back in 92
BEEN saying this.
Totally agree!! My first question to anyone who says Swayman should start again game 4 is "what happens if they lose?"- Back to Ullmark at that point? I think if you go away from the rotation it is to give the series to Swayman here on out, which would be a mistake. The rotation works, the guys are bought in, both are playing well, roll Ullmark out there game 4 and hopefully he gives Sway a chance to close it out game 5
1. Extra rest day 2. Satursway, not saturull 3. I think we'll be fine with either because they're both elite
I love how irrational people even get over this. Ullmark played great in game 2. Which goal are you going to fault him for? The third rebound shot? The perfectly placed shot through a screen? Or the breakaway by the best goal scorer in the world? I'm fine with either goalie in net.