Bruins want more buy-in; confident if Swayman starts Game 7

BEDFORD, Mass. – The Bruins have not bought in defensively the last two games. The Panthers have in all facets of the game. The Cats have fought for their lives to force a Game 7 at TD Garden on Sunday.

The league's best regular season team in history is now on the ropes after squandering opportunities to get out of the first round in Games 5 and 6, quickly in danger of becoming yet another 'I told you so' about regular season success and the so-called curse associated with the Presidents' Trophy.

"They're doing a good job. I would say the biggest component is they're just buying in," Brandon Carlo said after getting off the team charter at Hanscom Field on Saturday. "That's the difference, and that's just something we need to do a little bit more of at this point, that's just honest. There's no difference with anything that they're doing or a special play that they're running. Just for us, it's about buying into our game and going from there."

Boston rode a sound structure and process to a 65-win regular season and an additional three in the playoffs. The structure disintegrated in Games 5 and 6. The Panthers capitalized as turnovers abounded, defensive assignments were missed and the Bruins seemingly overthought things on their side of the red line.

"Going back to our structure. We've talked about the process all year," Patrice Bergeron said. "I think all of those things are things that we need to focus on right now and really put emphasis on. Every time we play with structure and layers, we're a tough team to play against."

Questions about lineup decisions, whether it be to insert Connor Clifton into the lineup over Matt Grzelcyk or to not utilize Jeremy Swayman earlier in the series, only grew louder after the troubling blunder in Game 6. The B's want to get back to that process that has been talked so much about this season. 

"I think the root of it is, it's the playoff and everything's magnified," Montgomery said. "We preach about staying in the moment. For the majority of this season and the majority of this series, we've been able to do it. But there are times where for whatever reason, whether it's a coaching decision, it's save selection, it's a puck decision or it's a defensive decision, guys have not stayed in the moment. I think they've worried about making mistakes. I always think safety is death. Now we're looking forward to what lies ahead of us."

Matthew Tkachuk found himself without anyone but Linus Ullmark in his zip code on the doorstep for the tying goal at 5-5. The puck wouldn't cooperate with Carlo behind the net as he went to clear it around the boards, allowing Florida to maintain pressure. While Carlo focused on Carter Verhaeghe at the far post, Derek Forbort lost track of Tkachuk, who had two Mississippi's worth of time and space to get two opportunities on Ullmark for the score. Montgomery was visibly frustrated on the bench.

"It's the lack of execution, right?" Montgomery said. "I guess I've been spoiled. I haven't had a lot of moments like that, where guys are not executing. It wasn't just that goal. It was a combination of three goals in a row that were very uncommon, and it's not one player doing it. It's different players at different moments. That's the frustration part."

It was one of four goals that came right around Boston's crease on Saturday and more success that Tkachuk and Florida have found around the net for most of the series. Carlo said, "I think within our game, as long as we play the right way through the neutral zone especially, getting pucks behind them as well as containing the net-front. They do a good job at the net-front. There's no secret in that they battle hard there. We've just got to buy in a little bit harder there and hopefully, clear out space so our goalies can see it."

As can be gleaned from the above heatmap, the Bruins have done well around Florida's net, too. Of any positives to take from a discouraging outing, it's that Boston has found ways to break through a Panthers defense that remains suspect, sticking to regular-season form. For what's been made of the sluggish Ullmark the last two games, Sergei Bobrovsky still holds a 4.40 goals-against average, giving up five goals in two of his three starts. Bobrosky sits 15th among 24 goaltenders to have played in at least a game in the playoffs so far with a minus-0.2 goals-saved above expected, per MoneyPuck (Ullmark is 10th at plus-1.6).  

"I think we have found the game we know we can play," Montgomery said. "You know, you look at the O-zone time. I think we've dominated that part. For the majority of it, I'm very happy with what our group has done. I just have a lot of confidence in our group."

Still, the question around whether or not to stick with Ullmark or turn to the young Swayman in the do-or-die best-of-one is one that looms large. The former surrendered six goals on 32 shots on Friday. He had an expected goals-against of 3.41, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"Linus didn't make enough stops. That would be the reason to make a switch. Plain and simple," Montgomery said.

Ullmark wasn't as sharp as Boston needed to be. As the defensive structure disintegrated in front of him, that extra save, that bailout that the B's saw in the regular season never happened. Even if Ullmark underperformed, Montgomery knows there's still more to just No. 35 not making a stop on a given play. For him, it comes down to that structure that the Bruins lacked in Game 6.

"Everyone's going to make mistakes. They made many mistakes, and we made more mistakes. You force teams to make mistakes," Montgomery said. "When I look at the team, it's like 'O.K., we have layers to what we do.' So one guy gets beat, why are we not shutting down with that next layer, not shutting down what's happening? So I look at the team, not just what did the goalie do, what did this defenseman do, what did this forward do? I think as a coach, if you're always relating to what's going on with your team, it's never personal when you address a player. It's about executing what the team needs. It's always a family-first mentality, which is what the Bruins are about."

Montgomery left the door open to go to Swayman in Games 3, 4 and 6. Managing both netminders' workloads was a successful recipe in the regular season. It's why Ullmark, whose 49 appearances were by far a career-high, is the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy. He had not made six starts in a row the entire year before Game 6. He also hadn't allowed six goals to that point. The wear and tear, whether physically or mentally, has begun to show. The Bruins, however, stand by their decision to divert from the plan in favor of the traditional school of thought, riding one goaltender in the playoffs.

"No regrets," Montgomery said. "Nothing good happens if you live with regret. If you make a mistake, you admit it and move on. That's how you move on from regret, but I don't regret the decisions we've made as a staff and that I've personally made for lineup decisions and who's been in net."

Regardless, it's now a conundrum. If Swayman goes in Game 7, it would be his first start since the Game 82 finale in Montreal on April 13. The only action he has seen was a one-save showing in just over three minutes in garbage time of Game 6. It may be an impossible spot for the likely ice-cold 24-year-old, who took over for Ullmark to help push the Carlina Hurricanes to seven games in last year's first round, but the Bruins would have faith if he gets the call. 

"When it comes to Jeremy Swayman, he is the most confident individual that I know," Montgomery said. "So, he's kind of like, you give the ball to [Roger] Clemens to go win Game 7 on the mound. You're down in the last two minutes, and Tom Brady's got the ball, you like your chances. If it's Swayman that's in net, I have the utmost confidence in him. No reservations at all."