Which Bruins Team Will Show Up in Game 3 Against Panthers? - Robert McMahon
Robert McMahon, Sports Columnist
Which Bruins Team Will Show Up in Game 3 Against Panthers? - Robert McMahon
Like most Bruins fans, I was tempted after the Bruins beat the Panthers 5-1 in game 1 of their playoff series to think that the Bruins had regained their mojo after a less-than-stellar-series win against Toronto. And I began to think, hey, the Bruins have the Panthers number this year. After all, Boston took all four games against Florida in the regular season series.
Bruin fans' confidence disappeared in game 2 against the Panthers, much like the disappearing act put on by the Bruins in the 6-1 thrashing administered by the Panthers. The game 1 Bruins were AWOL in game 2. Which Bruins team will show up in game 3 in Boston?
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMaybe the Bruins were feeling overconfident after the first period against the Panthers in game 2. The Bruins skated with the Panthers with similar shots on goal, emerged with a 1-0 lead, and their goalie, Jeremy Swayman, continued his acrobatic goaltending. Alas, the Bruins left their game in the locker room when the second period began.
Here are some of the dreadful numbers from game 2:
--The five leading scorers on the Bruins team—Pasternak, Marchand, Coyle, Zacha, and McAvoy—had 1 goal and only 3 shots on goal in total for the entire game;
--The Panthers put 33 shots on goal to the Bruins 15;
--The Bruins went 16 minutes in the game from late in the 2nd period to the middle of the 3rd period with no shots on goal;
--Swayman had to be pulled from the game in the 3rd period after giving up 4 goals while facing 23 shots;
--The Panthers mocked the Bruins as the rout continued in the 3rd period, leading to an all-out brawl and 146 penalty minutes.
What should 2nd year Bruins coach Jim Montgomery do in game 3 to get the Bruins back on track? The big decision that must have kept him from sleeping well the last two nights is this: “Who should the Bruins play in goal in game 3: Jeremy Swayman or Linus Ullmark?” PC hockey fans are familiar with Swayman in Hockey East play when Swayman tended goal for the Maine Black Bears. While Swayman and Ullmark largely rotated goaltending duties during the regular season, Swayman has started 8 of the 9 Bruins playoff games this postseason. Before game 2 against the Panthers, he was leading all NHL playoff goalies with a 1.41 goals against average, stopping a ridiculous 97% of shots faced.
Is Swayman tired? Should he be rotating goalie duty with Ullmark as they did in the regular season? Do the Panthers have Swayman’s number after game 2? The inclination for Bruins coach Montgomery is to go with Ullmark. I hope not. I think Swayman is the superior goalie and game 2 was largely a result of poor Bruins play in front of Swayman. The Bruins had too many unforced errors, giving up the puck. They failed to clear the puck in front of Swayman after he was making saves on point-blank shots.
The bigger issue for the Bruins in game 3 is not the goalie decision. The other five players in front of the goalie have to show up, go after every puck, forecheck, and remember how to play Bruins physical hockey again. They need some leadership from their top scorers, who not only disappeared in game 2, but were also largely non-entities in game 1.
The winner of game 3 will win this series.