The top-seeded Boston Bruins put together one of the biggest choke jobs in NHL history on Sunday night with a Game 7 loss to the eighth-seeded Florida Panthers at TD Garden, putting an end to a historic campaign that saw the franchise set single-season records for points and wins.
Just about every player on the team struggled in the first-round series, perhaps none more than potential Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, who was benched for Game 7 in favor of backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
With the Black and Gold’s season having officially come to an end, we are beginning to find out about what ailments the players dealt with in the playoffs.
Captain Patrice Bergeron said Sunday he played through a herniated disk in his back, and Ullmark played Games 1-6 with “a debilitating & painful injury that limited his mobility and technique,” according to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
Ullmark had a phenomenal regular season, posting a 40-6-1 record with a league-leading 1.89 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, in addition to two shutouts in 49 games.
However, the 29-year-old had an abysmal postseason, going 3-3 with a 3.33 goals-against average and .896 save percentage before being benched for Swayman ahead of Game 7.
The last straw for Ullmark was when he allowed six goals on 32 shots in a 7-5 Game 6 loss to the Panthers at FLA Live Arena. With such an uncharacteristic performance over the team’s first six postseason games, questions about Ullmark’s health arose.
However, when asked by reporters how he was feeling after Game 6, Ullmark responded: “I feel good. Thanks.”
At this point, it’s abundantly clear that the Boston netminder was anything but “fine,” and the latest update on his health status makes the decision to continue starting him even more puzzling.
Like Ullmark, Swayman had a strong regular season, going 24-6-4 with a 2.27 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts in 37 games. His goals-against average and save percentage were the fourth-best in the NHL.
It’s possible Swayman could’ve helped the Bruins close out the series when they were up 3-1, but instead the team continued to start Ullmark and went on to blow that series lead.
Boston’s loss isn’t entirely on Ullmark as the team in front of him also struggled mightily throughout the series, but now Bruins fans are left with even more questions about what could have been after a magical regular season.
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