The Boston Bruins are trying to break a long-standing tradition in their opening-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and so far, it is working.
The Bruins have a 2-1 lead over Toronto after defeating the Maple Leafs 4–1 on the road in Game 3. They have since regained home-ice advantage.
Jeremy Swayman, who had started in Game 1 but was replaced by Linus Ullmark in the loss in Game 2, was back in the starting lineup for the Bruins in Game 3, which resulted in the latter’s second straight postseason victory.
Swayman stopped 28 shots on Wednesday in Boston’s 4-2 victory over Toronto, following his 35-stop performance in Game 1’s 5-1 victory.
Swayman, who started in goal for those two victories, has a perfect 6-0-0 record against the Leafs in their regular- and post-season games over the last two seasons.
A little bit of [Swayman] may be in their heads, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said to reporters on April 25.
The Bruins think Swayman is playing Toronto’s captain.
Boston took the day off on Thursday to get ready for their upcoming fourth game—their second away from home—against Toronto on Saturday. But when Coach Montgomery spoke to the media, he used some deceptive language, discussing Swayman’s performances and how they are affecting Toronto’s perspective.
Max Domi’s intentional bumping of Montgomery after he comes off the bench “makes me think that maybe he is in their head a little bit,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery was referencing Domi’s hit on Swayman during a stoppage of play in which they crossed paths. Domi skated near Swayman and made contact with the goalie’s shoulder, making him fall to the ice.
