Bruins
SUNRISE, Fla. – The Boston Bruins arrived in South Florida hoping to hold the momentum from their last thrilling win in Game 7 two nights ago against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But with a two-day break in Round 2 against the Panthers, expect a fast change.
The tight schedule isn't the one twist the Bruins will face in Monday's series opener.
In fact, there have been a handful of developments during Monday's skating that involved potential lineup changes and a member of the Bruins entering fatherhood for the primary time. Let's dive into the important thing talking points following Boston's pre-series practice at Amerant Bank Arena.
Bruins 'hopeful' Brandon Carlo joins his 'crew' as recent addition
Brandon Carlo stayed in Boston just hours after Game 7 with a newborn on the way in which. Early Monday morning, Carlo and his wife Mayson welcomed a baby boy into the world.
“First of all,” said head coach Jim Montgomery, “I want to congratulate Brandon and Mayson on the new addition to their Crew family.”
While Carlo was at home caring for the most recent member of his family, the Bruins rotated their second and third defensive duos throughout the morning rush.
Parker Wotherspoon moved into the second pair alongside Hampus Lindholm. The latter turned in one among his best 200-foot performances of the season in Game 7, highlighted by his equalizer within the third and his deft assist on David Pastrnak's game-winning goal in time beyond regulation.
Derek Forbort took Wotherspoon's spot on Boston's third pair alongside Kevin Shattenkirk. Forbort was recently cleared for full-contact play by the Bruins' training staff after recovering surprisingly quickly from surgery that repaired several nagging injuries.
Andrew Peeke continues to make progress after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 2 against the Leafs, however the Florida blueliner will not be an option for Monday.
Matt Grzelcyk, who last skated in Game 5, joins Forbort as a possible substitute for Carlo. Montgomery had no definitive information on Carlo's status for Game 1 against Florida, but stays “hopeful” he’ll rejoin his Boston teammates before the scheduled puck drop at 8 p.m.
Patrick Brown goes from Game 7 spectator to potential fourth-line contributor.
Like the remaining of the hub, Brown remained on tenterhooks, riding off the emotions of Boston's Game 7 win.
The very next day, Brown received a call from Don Sweeney confirming his emergency promotion from Providence.
“That was a great game,” Brown said. “I watched. I had goosebumps watching it so long ago. I think you know it's a great motivator and we play for each other and we've seen that in the wins and losses this year.”
Brown must also feel motivated by his recent stints in Providence.
The veteran forward picked up points in his last seven games, including three in the primary two Calder Cup playoff games of the Baby B's Atlantic Division semifinal series against Hartford.
Brown replaced Jesper Boqvist as centerman on Boston's fourth line alongside Johnny Beecher, who frolicked together on a line in Providence earlier this 12 months, and Pat Maroon on rushes at the road.
“The execution, his play, every time he's played for us is tremendous, right?” Montgomery said of Brown. “The second and third attempts, he is strong with pucks, wins a lot of battles and he showed how we want to play. He knows exactly what we are doing in every situation.”
The pre-season plan for Boston's goalie rotation continues.
The Bruins stuck with their goalie rotation early in the primary round. But after one other standout performance from Game 1 starter Jeremy Swayman in Game 3, the B's ran the fourth-year goaltender through the rest of the Toronto series.
They had every reason to alter their plans regarding Swayman and Linus Ullmark. And Swayman made essentially the most of his future, allowing just nine goals in his six starts against the Maple Leafs.
Now, They have every reason to present Swayman a breather.
Ullmark hasn't began yet since game 2 against Toronto two weeks ago. But the Panthers also enter Game 1 slightly rusty after securing their series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last Monday.
Like Swayman against the Leafs, Ullmark delivered excellent results against Florida within the regular season. After scuffling with wear and tear within the second half of the first-round game last 12 months, the Swede posted a .947 save percentage and went an ideal 3-0 against the Panthers.
But if morning developments are to be believed, the Bruins could go right back to Swayman. He was the primary to go away the ice after the morning skating, while Ullmark remained on the ice with the extra skaters.
Montgomery wouldn’t commit to naming his Game 1 starter. But like within the lead-up to the Toronto series, they’ve an idea upfront of how they will handle Swayman and Ullmark's workload.
“Well, you know, we've always said we have a plan, and that goes for this series too,” Montgomery said. “It's the same plan we had and we should know that there is something to consider with the number of games we play. And the fact that neither goaltender has played that many games in such a short period of time, plus the added adrenaline and emotion of the Stanley Cup playoffs, all factors played a role in our decision.”
image credit : www.boston.com