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Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery isn't worried about the struggles his goaltender Jeremy Swayman has faced recently.
Swayman has a sub .900 save percentage in his last five games while having a 3.01 goals-against average. It is a step down for Swayman, who has a 2.56 GAA and a .917 SV% this season.
Although Swayman's last five games haven't been his best, Montgomery has full confidence that he will turn it around for the playoffs.
“It’s not a concern, you know, but we need him to get back to the form that he was at,” Montgomery said (via Boston Globe). “Some of that is [the fault of] our team defense, and some of that is, you know, the schedule and the way it happens. But you know, he’s probably six or seven starts away from the starting the playoffs — him and Linus [Ullmark]. They both need to get sharp for it.
“I’m not going to commit to anything,” Montgomery added. “But I am very comfortable platooning them in the playoffs.”
If Swayman can't get back to form, Boston still has Linus Ullmark on the roster, who was last year's Vezina Trophy winner. Ullmark has struggled this season, but Montgomery isn't ruling out the Bruins alternating starts between the two in the playoffs as they did last year.
Boston Bruins holding onto the top spot in the Atlantic
The Boston Bruins are in first place in the Atlantic Division but are just one point up on the Florida Panthers and have played one more game than Florida.
Boston is coming off a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Montgomery was asked about the team holding the league's top record despite having trouble closing games.
“It’s not hard for me to look at a glass half full,” Montgomery said (via NHL.com). “You want to learn these lessons, and the desperation of the [opposing] teams, and our schedule is really tough here down the stretch, so we’re going to continue to play teams that are fighting for playoffs or fighting for position in playoffs, which is what we like, because we want to be prepared for all these things that are going to happen come playoff time."
Boston will return to the ice on Tuesday at home against the Ottawa Senators.
