Mike Felger weighs in on which goaltender should get the start in the NHL playoffs.
Jeremy Swayman is the Boston Bruins' future in net. But Linus Ullmark continues to make a strong case that he's the present.
The veteran Bruins goaltender stopped 28 of 29 shots against the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night, helping Boston earn a 2-1 overtime win over a legitimate title contender.
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SIGN UP HERE Entering Friday, head coach Bruce Cassidy had started Swayman in seven of Boston's last nine matchups against teams currently in a playoff spot. Cassidy rode the hot hand Friday night, though, and his decision paid off.
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"I thought he played the puck well," Cassidy said of Ullmark, who has now won six consecutive starts with a .938 save percentage and 1.56 goals against average over his last seven games. "... Everything a little more on his toes lately. So, good. That's what we want.
"The (Lightning) have a world-class goaltender (in Andrei Vasilevskiy). You're gonna need a great game from that position if you're gonna beat Tampa typically and I thought it was a good goaltenders' battle tonight. We were just one better."
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By rising to the challenge against a playoff-caliber team (and outdueling the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner), Ullmark also strengthened his case to be Boston's starting goalie in Game 1 of the postseason.
While Swayman has more raw talent and slightly better numbers on the season (.918 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average compared to Ullmark's .912 and 2.58), the rookie netminder has struggled over the past two weeks, allowing 19 goals in his last six appearances (3.17 per game) while going 3-3-0 in those contests.
Swayman had been excellent up to that point, so it's possible he's just hitting a "rookie wall." He never played more than 35 games in college and is already at 34 appearances this season with a more grueling schedule.
If Swayman regains his form down the stretch, there's a good chance he'll begin the postseason as Boston's starting goaltender. Ullmark continues to make the debate interesting, though, and with eight of the Bruins' final 11 games against current playoff contenders, it's worth noting who Cassidy leans on more over the final three weeks of the regular season.
