Bruins

Jim Montgomery stands firm on Bruins’ lineup juggling from costly Game 5 defeat

“I'm going to be second-guessed, and third and fourth-guessed. And rightfully so. That comes with the territory."

By Conor Ryan

May 1, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 5

“Staying in the moment” has been a mantra preached by Jim Montgomery and the rest of the Bruins throughout this playoff run. 

But in the wake of another lackluster showing from his team in a close-out scenario on Tuesday night, Montgomery relented when asked how long Boston’s Game 5 loss will linger on his mind. 

“I’m still pissed off from last night, just being honest,” Montgomery said after Boston’s optional skate on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t understand and don’t accept our play last night. So I’m gonna be pissed off until the puck drops tomorrow night.” 

Rather than land a knockout punch against a shorthanded Maple Leafs team on home ice, the Bruins now have to pack their bags and head back to Toronto for Game 6 on Thursday night. 

The Bruins are looking to right the ship after sleepwalking through the majority of Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss, spoiling another stellar showing in net from Jeremy Swayman (31 saves on 33 shots). 

Boston’s woeful start on Tuesday and its inability to generate quality looks against Leafs backup netminder Joseph Woll loom large after Toronto kept its season alive for at least another two days. 

But Montgomery’s lineup tweaks after posting back-to-back wins at Scotiabank Arena last week have also drawn plenty of criticism. 

Montgomery made the right call sticking with the hot hand in Swayman in Game 5, but he also opted to slot out forward Johnny Beecher on the fourth line, replacing him with Justin Brazeau. Matt Grzelcyk also drew back into the lineup on defense in place of veteran Kevin Shattenkirk.

Brazeau, who had not played since April 2 due to an upper-body injury, was “rusty”, in Montgomery’s eyes, during his playoff debut in Game 5. 

The Bruins missed Beecher’s speed on the forecheck Tuesday, as well as his proficiency in the faceoff dot (54.8% this postseason). Toronto won 32 of 53 faceoff chances on Tuesday night. 

A defensive duo of Grzelcyk and Parker Wotherspoon was quickly split up after an ugly start, leading to fewer minutes for Mason Lohrei (16:32) on the third D pairing as the game went on.  

The pairing of Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy had a shift to forget in overtime. 

As Grzelcyk struggled to force John Tavares to the outside as he skated toward Swayman, the Leafs’ captain tossed the puck toward the crease. McAvoy and Charlie Coyle — both puck-watching in the blue paint — failed to account for Matthew Knies, who potted the fluttering biscuit for the OT winner. 

Even if the Bruins were intrigued by Brazeau’s ability to generate Grade-A looks or discouraged by Shattenkirk’s D-zone fortitude at 5-on-5 play, it’s tough to overlook the results that the previous iteration of Boston’s lineup generated in Games 3 and 4. 

Amid those lineup criticisms, Montgomery defended his tweaks — while also accepting the expected objections that followed after a let-down performance. 

“There’s a lot of discussions that go on,” Montgomery said. “And in the end, I end up making decisions that I was really confident was best for the Boston Bruins. And when it doesn’t work out, I understand it comes with the territory.

“I’m going to be second-guessed, and third and fourth-guessed. And rightfully so. That comes with the territory, just like when you make changes and things work out. It’s the same thing. But I know that I’m comfortable with the decisions I made, why I made them, and moving forward with it and the criticism that comes with it.”

Slotting Beecher and Shattenkirk back into the lineup might be the proper move for a Bruins team that needs to find its game on the road once again — or risk hosting another Game 7 on home ice. 

“Beecher and Shatty, in particular, always have responded when they get back in the lineup with a really good effort,” Montgomery noted. “So that gives you confidence to put them back in.”

Home-ice advantage? 

TD Garden hasn’t exactly been kind to the Bruins over the last few years when it comes to critical postseason matchups. With Tuesday’s loss, Boston is now just 1-6 in its last seven Game 5 matchups on Causeway Street — with each game decided by a single goal. 

Since Montgomery has stood behind Boston’s bench, the Bruins are just 2-5 on home ice during postseason play. 

“Our crowd is unbelievable,” Montgomery said. “So you think that would get us off to a great start and it didn’t. And there are factors that come into it. And we’re looking at different ways to improve upon that, if there is a Game 7.”

The Bruins have been far better in road playoff games during Montgomery’s tenure, going 4-1 and outscoring opponents, 22-14. 

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” Montgomery said of Boston’s strong play so far in Toronto. “We played two really good games there. There’s a little bit of the mentality of we have to bring our own juice, we have to rely on each other … When you’re on the road in the playoffs, you spend all your time together. It’s so much easier to eliminate outside noise when you’re on the road.”

Carlo cleared 

• Despite not playing in overtime Tuesday after taking a puck up high in the third period, Brandon Carlo is “good” for Game 6, per Montgomery.
• Montgomery added that defenseman Andrew Peeke is still “a couple of weeks away” after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2.
• Montgomery felt as though David Pastrnak was building his game in Toronto, but that momentum fizzled in Game 5. Pastrnak landed four shots on goal Tuesday over 20:06 of ice time, and has just two tallies in this series. “It’s hard to say anyone was close to a breakthrough offensively,” Montgomery said of Boston’s Game 5 showing.
• Charlie McAvoy said the Bruins had a constructive meeting Wednesday morning before the team jetted back up to Toronto. “There were a lot of things that we needed to hear, needed to see,” McAvoy said. “And we’ll be better for it.”