In the playoffs, that was abandoned, with Ullmark starting the first six games, even as he faltered. The Bruins had gone with a goalie rotation all season, with Ullmark making 48 starts and Swayman, 33. But a lot of the damage was also self-inflicted, with turnovers leading quickly and directly to goals against. It happened again in Game 7, when a defensive zone turnover led directly to the second goal for the Panthers, scored by Sam Reinhart at 1:14 of the second period.Īt 5-on-5, the Panthers forecheck was relentless and the Panthers forced the Bruins to make decisions they might not have otherwise made. But in the series against the Panthers, the Bruins made miscue after miscue, from issues with miscommunication, including the play that led directly to the game-winning goal in Game 5, when Ullmark turned over the puck behind the net, to giveaways. The Bruins were not a mistake-prone team in the regular season. Swayman, who hadn't started a game since April 13, couldn't save the season either, though he played well in Game 7, allowing four goals on 31 shots. He allowed four goals in the Bruins' Game 5 loss and six in Game 6 and was sat out Game 7, with Jeremy Swayman starting instead. 938 save percentage.īut Ullmark, who played all but 3:11 in the first six games of the series, got shakier as the series went along. The Bruins went into this series led by their likely Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Linus Ullmark, who led the NHL in wins (40, tied with the Colorado Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev), 1.89 goals-against average and. But they couldn't continue that in the playoffs. The Bruins had been especially good at closing out teams in the regular season, scoring 113 goals in the third period and allowing 59, each mark the best in the NHL. It was just the opening the Panthers needed and their confidence and push grew with every period the Bruins didn't put them away. But the Bruins failed to win any of the games, losing Games 5 and 7 at home in overtime, allowing the Panthers to creep back in and creep back in and, eventually, take the series.īoston came close to ending the series on a final-second breakaway by Brad Marchand in Game 5, but Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made the stop. The Bruins had three chances to finish off the Panthers after going up 3-1, with two of those games at home. Here are five reasons the Bruins were eliminated: 1. Potential restricted free agents: Trent Frederic, F Jakub Lauko, F Jeremy Swayman, G Potential unrestricted free agents: Patrice Bergeron, F David Krejci, F Nick Foligno, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Tomas Nosek, F Garnet Hathaway, F Dmitry Orlov, D Connor Clifton, D The Bruins have qualified for the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and losing in Game 7 to the St. They set an NHL record for wins (65) and points (135) in the regular season. Boston (65-12-5) was the top seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division and the Presidents' Trophy.
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