Ryan: Cutting into Linus Ullmark’s workload must be a priority for Bruins in coming months

Jeremy Swayman didn’t see any action in the Bruins’ 7-3 win over Florida on Monday night.

While Linus Ullmark was besieged by 39 volleys of vulcanized rubber from the Panthers, the most daunting endeavor facing Swayman was the whiff of smelling salts that his goalie partner offered just ahead of puck drop.

Of course, the Bruins haven’t had many qualms with such a configuration between both netminders, not with Ullmark looking like a legitimate Vezina candidate between the pipes.

But for as stout as Ullmark has been in net this year, the B’s are going to have to flip those roles a bit during the dog days of the regular season — at least they should, if they want to be at their best come the spring.

Because even though Ullmark (18-1-0, .937 save percentage) has been arguably the most important factor in Boston’s sterling start to the season, the B’s are going to have to cut into his workload significantly down the stretch — a proactive measure that only becomes feasible if Swayman is playing like an effective 1B in Boston’s rotation. 

All things considered, Monday’s victory stood as yet another impressive performance from Ullmark — who turned aside 36 of those 39 shots to help stave off a Panthers surge and hand Boston its third win during this five-game homestand.

"He was like he's been all year in the third,” Jim Montgomery said of Ullmark’s play postgame. “Like just square to pucks and covering up some mistakes that we were making — especially with our puck play on breakouts and coming out of the D zone.” 

But even amid a shutdown showing in the third period (11 saves on 11 shots), Ullmark had far from an easy night, especially with Boston’s defensive structure showing cracks in its armor throughout the second period.

And even Ullmark himself looked mortal for the first time in a long time — responsible for a few juicy rebound bids that skittered out to the slot and slow to seal off a one-timer from Eric Staal that squeaked over the goal line.

Of course, such miscues are inevitable for even the most locked-in netminders over the span of a long season. But the Bruins can’t make a busy evening for Ullmark a regular habit, even if his production makes it tempting for Montgomery to hand him the lion’s share of minutes.

While Ullmark’s refined mechanics have always made him a valued goalie, one area of his game where the Bruins still need to tread lightly is his durability — with his career high for games played in a single season being just 41 in 2021-22. 

So far this year, Ullmark is on pace to smash those usage rates, with the 29-year-old netminder currently on pace for just a shade under 60 appearances in 2022-23. Considering that the Bruins made it a priority for even an established netminder like Tuukka Rask to fall short of 60 games played during his final years in Boston, the B’s need to make sure they don’t exhaust Ullmark’s fuel reserves by the time April and May arrive. 

This homestand has highlighted a number of areas for the Bruins to fine-tune over the coming weeks and months — be it penalty woes, stagnant 5v5 play, poor breakouts, you name it. 

But as far as roster tweaks and big-picture outlooks are concerned, allocating more reps for Swayman has to stand at the top of Montgomery’s to-do list — with Swayman’s strong play on Saturday against Columbus standing as a promising starting point for the young goalie’s increased workload. 

“It’s different,” Swayman said of inconsistent reps. “I’ve been used to getting in a rotation. Again, I’m grateful for the adversity coming my way early on. Just learning from it and knowing how to battle through games, battle through tough times and not getting to start for a couple days. That’s just something I want to make sure I’m staying in the moment with, keeping that good attitude mentally and physically. And just keep working no matter what. Good game, bad game — doesn’t matter. I want to have that same steady, consistent attitude.”

Of course, while the Bruins entered this season will full expectations for a fairly even split in reps between Ullmark and Swayman, such a plan has been difficult to execute due to Swayman’s own up-and-down play. 

While a lower-body injury in early November hampered Swayman’s efforts of settling into a groove, the Alaskan native has also not made the most of the starts handed to him, posting a .895 save percentage through 11 games so far this season. 

A strong outing against Columbus was a step in the right direction, while a .895 save percentage on high-danger shots (third-best in NHL) offers hope that Swayman’s baseline numbers are set to surge. 

The Bruins don’t seem overly concerned about Swayman breaking through his current lull, given that even the most established NHLers tend to hit a wall during their first few years up in the league. 

“(Wayne) Gretzky’s gone 10 games without scoring,” Montgomery said. “I believe one time (Sidney) Crosby went 20 games without scoring. Everybody has those moments in their career where things aren’t going well. That’s what makes you better. He’s going to come out of that little, small hiccup he had there and he’s going to be better for it. Because everyone needs adversity, whether it’s in life or in sports, especially.”

A heater in net for Swayman would be a welcome sight for the Bruins — and not just for the satisfaction of seeing their young goalie regain his confidence between the pipes.

Because if Swayman is more than holding his own during these drawn-out weeks in the winter, it’s making things easier on Ullmark in the process — a win-win for a Bruins team looking to have two locked-in (and rested) goalies in place once the stakes are raised in the postseason.