Ullmark vs Swayman: Who will start the playoffs for the B's?
There was a time fairly recently when it looked like long-time Bruins starter Tuukka Rask appeared to be back, and if he was I don't think there's any question as to who would have been the team's starter for their upcoming playoff run. However, with Rask recently announcing his retirement, it raises the question; who will start for the B's in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs? Will it be Linus Ullmark? Or will it be Jeremy Swayman?
To this point, Ullmark has edged out Swayman for starts, but it's worth asking the question of whether or not it is due to the quality of his play, or the fact that Swayman was sent down to Providence when Rask attempted his return.
Ullmark has played 25 games for the Bruins this season, posting a 16-7-1 record, with a 2.78 GAA and a .909 SV% this season, but has been wildly inconsistent in his tenure in Boston. Chalk it up to getting acclimated to a new city with a new team or even drawing many of the tougher matchups, but the fact of the matter is that Ullmark was playing better in his last two seasons in Buffalo than he is for the B's. Concerning, especially since he is locked in for 3 more seasons at $5M per.
Swayman, a 23-year-old rookie from Anchorage, Alaska, has given the Bruins plenty of reasons to be excited through his first 20 appearances this season. Though his record (9-7-3) this season isn't as impressive as Ullmark, his underlying numbers are far superior. Swayman owns a 2.15 GAA to go along with a .923 SV%, which certainly stands out and could indicate that he is the prime candidate to start. Then again, experience isn't exactly on his side, with just 30 games played. Do the Bruins really want to hang their hopes on a rookie when the games really begin to matter?
Ullmark has not played much more, at just 142 NHL games, but the fact of the matter is that the 28-year-old Swede was brought in to play the lion's share of the games in Boston. His contract indicates that, his number of starts indicate that and his overall record and especially his win percentage this season indicates that.
All of that said, I think a lot is riding on their performances in the second half of this season. I'm not sure that the Bruins have made up their mind, but the good thing is that there are still 35 games remaining for one or the other to stake their claim to the net when the puck drops on the postseason.
If I'm playing the role of Bruce Cassidy today and, gun to my head, you asked me to pick a starter, I'm probably leaning toward Swayman just from a pure numbers standpoint - but I wouldn't argue too hard against it if the Bruins went with Ullmark.
NHL players in this story
Linus Ullmark
