In a crushing defeat, Jim Montgomery explains why the Bruins benched Jeremy Swayman early.

In a crushing defeat, Jim Montgomery explains why the Bruins benched Jeremy Swayman early.

Boston’s troubles continued on Monday at Nationwide Arena as they lost 5-2 to the cellar-dwelling Blue Jackets, following their crushing losses to the Red Wings and Rangers last week.

The worst loss handed out thus far in the 2023–24 season was Boston’s third consecutive regulation loss, particularly considering that Columbus was playing the second leg of a back-to-back set.

Early in the second period, Jim Montgomery took a shot across the bow in response to the Bruins’ ongoing downward trend. Just 5:38 into the middle session, Ivan Provorov put the Jackets a 2-0 lead. Montgomery then withdrew Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who had stopped 17 of 19 shots.

After taking over, Linus Ullmark lost the rest of the game on Monday, allowing two goals on 21 shots.

The Bruins decided to change goalies midway through a game for the first time this season.

Swayman was given the swift hook on Monday, despite the fact that it’s not at all surprising to switch goalies following extended periods of subpar play, particularly after Ullmark was shut out for seven goals in Saturday’s crushing defeat to the Rangers.

Speaking after the game, Montgomery stated that the players surrounding Swayman were more important in the decision to bench him than the goalie’s own play.

During NESN’s postgame broadcast of the decision to withdraw Swayman, Montgomery stated, “I just thought we had no life at that time in the game.” “I was hoping for a slight improvement in this area. That, then, was the rationale behind it.

Swayman had a 6-0-0 record to start the season, but in his last five outings, he has a.887 save %. Boston’s defensive problems in front of its goalies have been a major factor in this current downturn, even though the Bruins goalkeeper has somewhat regressed from his brilliant start.