‘Awesome’ Ullmark was Bruins’ best player in Game 2 loss to Leafs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – Don’t blame Linus Ullmark for the Bruins’ Game 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
After Jeremy Swayman led the Bruins to a 5-1 victory in Game 1 of this first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series at TD Garden, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery decided to keep the goalie rotation going by turning to Ullmark for the second game.
The Bruins fell short in a 3-2 loss, but the score would have looked much worse had Ullmark not made some great saves.
“No question about it. He was great,” Montgomery said after the game when asked about the decision to start Ullmark over Swayman. “He made several big saves and that’s the strength of our team. They both played very well. We only scored two goals (in Game 2).”
Ullmark made 30 saves on 33 shots. He was under constant pressure throughout the game as the Leafs tilted the ice in their favor for large stretches.
The Leafs gained a huge 37-17 edge in scoring opportunities and a 14-7 advantage on high-risk chances in all situations, according to Natural Stat Trick. The scoring odds were 25-12 in Toronto’s favor during 5-on-5 action.
Ullmark was the team’s top penalty killer on Saturday with eight saves, including three dangerous stops, in 5:34 of short ice time. His most notable penalty save robbed Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok in the second period.
Ullmark kept the score tied at two early in the third period by getting a piece of a Nick Robertson shot that at first glance appeared to be heading for the back of the net.
The Leafs took their first lead of the season against the Bruins when Auston Matthews scored on a breakaway with 7:54 remaining in regulation.
Do you want a save in that spot? Sure, but Matthews is an elite offensive player and led the league with 69 goals this season. He will score in that spot more often than not. Charlie McAvoy’s defense in that series was subpar, to say the least.
Ullmark has lost three straight playoff games dating back to last season, and he has won just three of his nine postseason starts in his Bruins career. But on Monday night he was very good. The Bruins turned the puck over too much, played about half the game with five defensemen after Andrew Peeke left in the second period and didn’t return, and the offense didn’t produce enough scoring opportunities at 5-on-5. The final score could easily have been 4-2 or 5-2 Toronto, but Ullmark gave his team a chance to win.
“Every time I get a chance to play, I’m very grateful,” Ullmark said. “It’s the best time of the year. I don’t take anything for granted.”
So, what should the Bruins do with their goalies going forward?
It would be a smart move to keep the rotation going for at least one more game and return to Swayman for Wednesday night’s game in Toronto. Swayman is 4-0-0 with a .967 save percentage against the Leafs this season, including a stellar 35-save effort in Saturday’s series opener.
Swayman will get three days of rest before Game 3. If he plays great and beats the Leafs again, maybe the team can come back to him for a second straight start in Game 4. The deeper the series goes, the better the performance should be. be the deciding factor in which the goalkeeper gets the net.
But there’s no doubt that the goaltenders have been the Bruins’ best players after two games. That’s a positive they can take with them to Toronto.
