Sweeney, Bruins mum on goalie plan for Leafs series
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Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney isn't disclosing his team's goaltending plans for their Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But that doesn't mean head coach Jim Montgomery and the Bruins don't already have one in place.
“Our goalies know what the plan is. Performance and results will dictate some of this, but we know what the plan is," Sweeney said Thursday via Bruins reporter Joe Haggerty.
The Bruins head into the postseason with two good options between the pipes. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark traded starts throughout the regular season, with neither starting more than one straight game since the start of March. There's little to separate the two, with Swayman finishing the year with a 25-10-8 record, a .916 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average. Ullmark's record for 2023-24 stood at 22-10-7 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA.
The Leafs have not yet announced a starter either, but Ilya Samsonov saw the majority of the action down the stretch of 2023-24. Despite being waived earlier in the season, the 27-year-old rebounded down the stretch and closed out the campaign with a 23-7-8 record, a .890 save percentage and a 3.13 GAA.
The Maple Leafs and Bruins are scheduled to open their series Saturday evening at TD Garden in Boston.
Brazeau still week-to-week
Sweeney also said Thursday that forward Justin Brazeau is week-to-week with an upper-body injury and will likely not be available for the start of the Leafs series.
Sweeney added the 26-year-old is skating but still has boxes he has to check before returning.
Brazeau has not played since suffering the injury against the Nashville Predators on April 2.
He finished the regular season with five goals and two assists for seven points in 19 games after making his NHL debut in February.