Bruins News & Rumors: Montgomery, Sweeney, Maple Leafs & More

Boston won all four regular-season meetings, but if there is anything hockey fans know, the playoffs are a different animal. Toronto offers a different style than Tampa Bay would have as they are one of the better 5-on-5 teams in the NHL and they have a very lethal power play. Auston Matthews scored 69 goals this season and will likely find the back of the net in the series multiple times. To say the Bruins are going to have their hands full with the offensive talent Toronto has is an understatement.

“We’ve got to be aware of their top-end forwards,” said Boston coach Jim Montgomery. “We can’t give up odd-man rushes and we gotta make them defend. Probably the same thing they’re saying about us. It all comes down to execution.”

Toronto has had trouble on the back end with the defense and goaltending, but their offensive talent is enough that they could outscore the Bruins in a lot of games to make up for their troubles in the back. If that happens, it would be surprising to see the Maple Leafs advance.

Montgomery Not Naming Game 1 Goalie

If it’s playoff time, then one thing is for sure, it’s time where very little gets leaked ahead of games in a long series. That is the case for both the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Neither team has announced who their starting goaltender is for Game 1, although Montgomery did say that Boston knows who is starting. Toronto forward Max Domi had a lighthearted response about both teams being quiet on the goaltending front.

“Welcome to the playoffs,” Domi said.

As far as Boston goes, it’s anyone’s guess as to who gets the start, but Jeremy Swayman does have the better numbers against Toronto and it would be a rather big surprise if it’s not him. Regardless, it’s likely that both Swayman and Linus Ullmark see time throughout the series, something Montgomery didn’t do last season against Florida.

Don Sweeney Happy With Bruins Regular Season

Sweeney met with the media and was very happy with the season his club had despite struggling down the stretch, losing three of their final four games in regulation to finish in second place in the division. He spoke about prospects John Beecher and Matthew Poitras making the roster and Danton Heinen’s season after waiting nearly a month into the season to finally get into game action.

“Monty (led) that charge on a coaching level. (He) attacked things that we knew were going to be a bit of a work in progress from Day 1. (Gave) some opportunity for some players as we saw early on, (Matt) Poitras and (Jonh) Beecher, doing a really good job during the early part of the season and grabbing a hold of an opportunity. And other guys, in Danton Heinen’s case, really remarkable. A great relationship with Monty and I think the two of them fed off of that from a trust factor and parlayed it into an outstanding season for us on an individual and team level.

“Several other players have gone on to play elevated roles. They’re all to be commended, and again, I use the word they’re not satisfied, they want to go out to the next level that starts (now).”

Don Sweeney (from, ‘On eve of playoffs, Don Sweeney has high praise for Bruins’ work this season,’ Boston Globe, April 19, 2024)

Poitras’ season ended in February when he underwent shoulder surgery and Beecher spent a lot of the second half of the season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). Heinen was the biggest surprise for the Bruins this season as once he got into the lineup in late October, he became a contributor that not many people saw coming. He finished the season with 17 goals and 19 assists with a plus/minus of plus-16 playing in all situations. Not too bad for someone who came to camp on a PTO.

Bruins Recall John Beecher & Mason Lohrei; Injury Updates

It was likely just a paper transaction, but on Friday (April 19) the Bruins recalled Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei from Providence. It will be interesting to see how Montgomery goes about his lineup for Game 1 with his six defensemen and bottom-six forwards, but Lohrei is someone who could be an under-the-radar addition with his ability to move the puck and jump into the play with the troubles the Maple Leafs have on the back end. Some interesting decisions looming for sure as the series goes along.

As far as injuries go, forward Justin Brazeau was out ahead of practice on April 19 skating but is still a ways away from returning. According to Sweeney, Derek Forbort recently was on the operating table for two different situations, but he’s still in Providence working on his conditioning. Whether or not he plays for the Bruins again remains up in the air this postseason.

It’s going to be a long and grueling two weeks for the series and the series is a toss-up. Throw the regular season results out the window as the case can be made for both teams winning the series. For Boston, another first-round exit after last season’s stunning first-round loss to the Panthers would make for another long offseason.