Jeremy Swayman get net for Bruins’ road opener

When Bruce Cassidy said there was going to be a goalkeeping competition this year, the Bruins coach wasn’t kidding.

Cassidy said he will be returning to the Philadelphia street opener on Wednesday with his opening night starter Jeremy Swayman. No, he doesn’t put Linus Ullmark in mothballs. The seasoned newcomer will make his official Bruins debut on Friday at his old home track in Buffalo. But Swayman just played well enough in the opening game (27 saves on 28 shots) to deserve the next start.

“For those two games they wanted to play one game each. We liked Sway’s game in Saturday’s opening game against Dallas, so we’re giving him the net again, ”said Cassidy on Tuesday. “It wasn’t necessarily that Ullmark would necessarily play in Buffalo. It could have gone this way, but this way we go and he’ll get Buffalo. He knows her better than anyone. And they probably know him better than anyone, so obviously both have a downside, so hopefully he’s ready to go. ”

Ullmark didn’t have the best preseason and Swayman clearly beat him at the opening start. He lost the two full games he played, both in overtime. In the first, his own puck handling slip resulted in the Rangers overtime winner, while the skaters’ mistakes in the preseason final resulted in a 2-on-1 goal against Washington.

The fact that Swayman played well has allowed the B’s to be patient with Ullmark, whose season ended in a lower body injury early last year. But when you sign a man on a four-year $ 20 million deal, at some point you’ll want to see something for the money.

Cassidy said that in practice he had seen an improvement in Ullmark’s play.

“Better,” said Cassidy when asked about Ullmark’s exercise performance. “A little less active, probably similar to how he plays, at the top.

“Look, you see a lot of good pucks in practice, so it can be difficult for goalkeepers. You saw a lot of power plays down there with the group of (Patrice Bergerons) and they can rip it up. But he looks like he’s fighting there and he’s well placed in the locker room, etc. I’m sure he wants the net, disappointed that he didn’t get the start (in the opener) but like I said it’s a Competition. So when you get your chance, do whatever it takes to stay connected so we don’t turn you off. And that’s a kind of message to both of them. ”

At the moment, B’s coaching staff only has to practice to measure Ullmark’s willingness. By the time he fell between the pipes at the Keybank Center on Friday, 16 days had passed since his last start against Washington in the preseason, thanks to the unusually sparse schedule of the B.

Nick Foligno, who is establishing himself as a tirelessly positive presence in the B’s locker room, said extra practice time isn’t too bad for a newbie.

“We are so blessed with two great goalkeepers and Linus has played a big part in that,” said Foligno. “It’s an adjustment, especially in this position. I’ve seen a lot of goalkeepers coming in my season and it’s a lot. Not only do you adapt to a new team, but also to a new lifestyle, family and such a high pressure position.

“I don’t think he’ll get to know us this time (it’s not bad) – I even benefit from this short time. It’s annoying, absolutely. But it’s nice to have this training time, when I really get to know guys and you can really feel comfortable in games. You can go one way or two. You can get annoyed about it or hug it. And I think he did well because he knows he will make his start, he will be a big part of it and we will do everything we can as teammates to take him away. But he has played long enough and I think he is confident of his abilities that he knows that if he gets in there we will play great in front of him and he will do a great job. ”

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