BOSTON — Thursday night against Buffalo was the 25th game played by the Boston Bruins this season.
And for the 24th time, a different starting goalie from the one who started the previous contest was between the pipes.
Even more so than a year ago, it’s been a true job share for Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in the Bruins’ cage. Through almost one-third of the 2023-24 campaign Swayman has made 13 starts, Ullmark a dozen.
They are Boston’s Goalie Bros, great friends who push each other rather than snipe behind each other’s back. They have their differences — Swayman is intense; Ullmark has more of a goldfish mentality — but are both among the best in the world at what they do. They’re as well known for their postgame hugging ritual as they are for piling up wins.
So the obvious question — will one guy ever take the job outright and become the Bruins’ No. 1 keeper — doesn’t appear to be a pressing matter for head coach Jim Montgomery or team management at this point.
But can a wax on, wax off goalie rotation work long term? Would the team be willing to employ the same strategy in the postseason after Ullmark was clearly gassed and dinged up in the second half last spring’s first round flameout against Florida?
It’s an evergreen situation, naturally, that they could deviate from at any time, but for the time being it seems they’ll roll with the status quo for as long as it works.
Last night was the first time that both of Boston’s prized duo were available for duty. Ullmark got the nod against his former employer, Buffalo, but with Swayman under the weather Brandon Bussi was called up from Providence to back him up. Ullmark stopped all 19 shots he saw in the first period before allowing a goal in the early stages of the second, snapping a scoreless draw to that point.
The first 16 games this season proved to be a true rotation, with Ullmark starting on opening night against the Blackhawks, Swayman taking his turn vs. Nashville in Game 2, and so on. Swayman won his first six starts and was 7-0-1 through eight contests, the same as Ullmark.
It stayed that way until Ullmark needed a maintenance day on November 20. So rather than guard the net that night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner took a seat as Swayman earned the nod for the second time in three days.
Ironically, that contest was the first domino to fall in an eventual 1-3-1 stretch for Boston in which they allowed 23 goals. It was the worst regular season stretch of the Montgomery Era; only a business-as-usual 3-1 triumph over the Panthers broke up this troublesome quintet of poor performances.
Despite that hiccup, the numbers for both keepers rank near the top of the league. Swayman is 9-1-2 with a 2.08 goals against average third-best among goaltenders with double-digit starts. His .932 save percentage is the circuit’s fifth best, and he’s tied for second in shutouts (2)
As many assumed would transpire, Ullmark’s numbers are down from last year’s remarkable run, but don’t exactly have management panicking. He took an 8-3-1 mark into Thursday’s tilt with a 2.65 GAA and .918 save percentage. He was still looking for his first shutout of 2023-24, and like Swayman had given up five power play tallies.
The ship appears to have been righted, for now, following back-to-back wins over hapless San Jose and Columbus.
This appears to be an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it scenario, and truthfully it’s a problem almost NHL team would love to have. But whether it remain status quo for the entirety of the 2023-24 season remains to be seen.