When the Bruins took off Saturday night time forward of final weekend’s snowstorm, they certainly knew the upcoming four-game highway journey may very well be a bumpy one. They had been taking part in the final two Stanley Cup winners, an upstart that’s robust to play in opposition to of their faculty rink and a crew that’s made a training change.
But simply midway by means of the journey, the B’s have hit extra pockets of turbulence than they bargained for. And it’s honest to marvel how lengthy this crew that has to this point defied logic by remaining among the many elites of the NHL can stay in that stratosphere as they hit the midway mark in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Brandon Carlo, who has stuffed his function extra constantly than any Boston defenseman this yr, was knocked out of the lineup with an higher physique harm. He’s been termed day-to-day by coach Jim Montgomery. Keep your fingers crossed on that one.
The intestine punch got here on Tuesday in Arizona. Rookie heart Matt Poitras, who had appeared nicely energized since getting back from the World Junior Championships, suffered what seemed like a shoulder or arm harm. He didn’t return and there was no quick prognosis.
But the large one got here in the course of time beyond regulation when goalie Linus Ullmark, one half of the tandem is mainly answerable for Boston’s unexpectedly lofty place within the NHL standings, reached excessive along with his glove for a shot and injured himself. Montgomery termed it a decrease physique harm and, once more, didn’t have any type of prognosis instantly after the 4-3 time beyond regulation loss to the Coyotes.
But regardless of the harm is, it didn’t seem like it was minor tweak. Ullmark wanted gamers on either side of him to information him to the bench as he was not capable of even take a significant stride on his personal.
For Ullmark’s sake, right here’s hoping appearances are deceiving. But it didn’t look good. The crew was touring on Wednesday and an replace was not anticipated on Poitras or Ullmark till Thursday earlier than the B’s tackle the Golden Knights.
But it actually seems like Jeremy Swayman goes to get an opportunity to be the person between the pipes for some time. Brandon Bussi is presumably the goalie due for a recall however, if this example is dealt with the identical means because the final time a goalie was injured, Swayman will get the majority of the begins.
When Swayman was damage in Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, 2022, he missed seven video games and Ullmark performed six of them, going 5-1 and permitting simply 9 complete objectives. It was a stretch of hockey that catapulted the B’s towards a record-breaking common season and put Ullmark on the trail towards the Vezina Trophy.
Now it seems like it is going to be Swayman’s flip, and there’s much more using on this chance for the previous Black Bear, as nicely for the B’s. Swayman will once more be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, the identical rights he exercised final offseason to land on the one-year deal price $3.475 million. Swayman stands to get a large increase no matter how this subsequent stretch performs out, however he might actually pump his inventory much more with a very good run.
Of course, it is going to additionally behoove the B’s to take some seems at Bussi as nicely, relying on how a lot time Ullmark’s anticipated to overlook. The days of goalies who play 65-70 video games are dwindling, and the B’s have been on the forefront of the notion that it’s greatest to have a 1A-1B goalie tandem.
The 25-year-old Bussi, signed as an undrafted free agent out Western Michigan, had a wonderful season in Providence final yr, posting a 22-5-4 document and .924 save proportion and a 2.40 GAA. The numbers aren’t nearly as good this season (10-6-3, .901, 2.94), however the 6-foot-4 athletic netminder’s play in preseason was robust.
These subsequent chunk of video games, nonetheless lengthy they final, might assist decide what route GM Don Sweeney will go along with his goaltending division in the summertime, if not sooner.
But irrespective of who’s web within the occasion that Ullmark misses a bulk of time, the skaters in entrance of him should assist him higher than they’ve within the first two video games of this highway journey. They’ve repeatedly coughed the puck up in their very own finish in Denver and Tempe and, in some respects, had been lucky to get factors out of both of these video games, although they did have their alternatives to win each.
If Carlo is certainly a short-term harm, then that may undoubtedly assist. So might the return of Derek Forbort, each time that could be. Out since Dec. 3 with a hard groin harm, he started skating final week, when Montgomery termed him nonetheless week-to-week. In his absence, the as soon as top-ranked penalty kill has slowly slipped to fourth within the league.
But make no mistake. The Bruins have hit one other gut-check portion of their schedule.
Source: www.bostonherald.com