With the Bruins resuming play tonight after the Holiday Break and on the first night of back-to-backs, Jim Montgomery will turn to his backup goalie.
The Bruins traveled to Ottawa to take on the Senators before heading to New Jersey tomorrow. It seems Montgomery will turn to Jeremy Swayman tonight as he saves starter Linus Ullmark for the anticipated rematch with the Devils tomorrow.
Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe shared the update:
”Swayman in net this eve.
Smith back on 4th line, Greer draws out.”
This will be the Bruins’ first matchup against Ottawa since October 18th, when that game was a barn burner that resulted in a 7-5 loss for the Bruins. It was the Bruins’ first loss of the season but hasn’t mattered much to this point as the team is 27-4-2 on the year.
There was concern regarding Swayman after that game, as he was the starter and struggled throughout as he got tuned up for six goals on 25 shots faced.
He has rebounded since his slow start improving his record to 7-3-1 with an 898 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. This will undoubtedly be a revenge game for Sway, who looks to quiet the doubters in the second half of the season. The Bruins will need a strong game from him if they want to get their revenge against the struggling Senators.
It is also interesting to note that Smith is getting the nod for the first game out of the Holiday Break. It has been a roller coaster ride for the veteran winger over the last couple of weeks as he’s been waived and assigned to Providence so the Bruins can clear critical cap space. Smith’s name is still tied to many trade rumors, as the deadline is now two months away.
