Does Jeremy Swayman Give Bruins Advantage Over Maple Leafs?
Jeremy Swayman arguably has been one of the Bruins’ best players in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and it’s something the Maple Leafs might have caught on to.
Boston on Wednesday took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after beating Toronto, 4-2, at Scotiabank Arena. Brad Marchand set the tone for the Black and Gold in the third period, but the team also is in a great spot thanks to the highlight saves Swayman made in the series.
Head coach Jim Montgomery was tight-lipped about the Bruins’ goalie plans before the first three games of the series. Boston appears to be rotating the goalies the same way it did through most of the regular season, but Swayman continues to make his case to start consecutive games.
“The rotation’s been so good for us,” Montgomery told reporters, per team-provided video. “It’s a hard decision.”
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Swayman made 63 combined saves in two games against the Maple Leafs in the postseason, and the 25-year-old is 4-0 against Toronto in the past two seasons. Frustration appeared to boil over for the Leafs when Max Domi skated into Swayman during a TV timeout in the second period of Game 3. The Bruins goalie had a lighthearted reaction to the interaction, but there might be more to it.
“Sometimes I don’t think that, but when Domi goes off the bench and bumps him on purpose, makes me think maybe he’s in their head a little bit,” Montgomery said.
If Swayman does have Toronto’s number, it could play a factor in Montgomery’s decision regarding who starts in Game 4 on Saturday. It’s something the coaching staff will mull over as the Bruins hope to take a 3-1 series lead before they return to Boston.