Linus Ullmark wasn’t the reason the Bruins lost in his first career playoff start. But if Bruce Cassidy was serious about playing both of his goalies, Ullmark didn’t do enough to force himself back into the net for Game 2 after Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1.
“You need the saves at the end when you’re not scoring. Let’s call it what it is,” said Cassidy, who said the Hurricanes did a good job getting traffic in front of his goalie and affecting Ullmark’s view of the puck. “We’re not going to put anything on Ullmark. Whatever goalie is in there for us, we’re got to fight to find pucks. It was the same at the other end early on. Raanta was fighting to find pucks early on and we didn’t capitalize.
“We have to do better in lanes and Linus will have to work harder to find it,” Cassidy said. “That’s that hand he’s been dealt. They’ve got some big bodies that camp themselves out front.”
Carolina’s fourth goal, a short-side tough angle backhander by VIncent Trocheck was the worst of the four goals (the fifth was an empty-netter).
“The last goal on the short side, he’s going to tell you it’s not a great goal to give up, but by then it’s 4-1,” Cassidy said.
Game 2 is Wednesday at PNC Bank Arena.
Cassidy, who said he expected both Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman to see postseason action, wasn’t ready to name his Game 2 goalie in the postgame press conference.
“I’ll let you know (Tuesday). I’m not faulting our goaltender for this,” he said. “We had some opportunities we need to finish as well. Like they did.”
Ullmark was solid early with 10 first-period saves, while Hurricanes’ first-time playoff starter Antti Raanta looked shaky in the early minutes. But neither team scored a goal and Raanta settled down.
“It’s going to come down to some lucky bounces here and there. That’s just hockey,” said Ullmark, who said he wasn’t focused on what was happening at the other end of the ice. “At the end of the day, it’s just about stopping pucks. It doesn’t matter how you do it. I have to stop one more than him to win the game. It’s as easy as that.”
Ad Choices