Jim Montgomery remains firm on Bruins’ lineup against Leafs

Bruins

“I’m going to be guessed a second time, then a third and a fourth. And rightly so. It comes with the territory. »

“Stay in the moment” has been a mantra preached by Jim Montgomery and the rest of the Bruins throughout this postseason.

But following another lackluster performance from his team during a closing storyline Tuesday night, Montgomery relented when asked how long Boston’s Game 5 loss would linger on his mind.

“I’m still pissed from last night, to be honest,” Montgomery said after Boston’s optional practice Wednesday afternoon. “I do not understand and do not accept our play last night. So I’m going to be pissed until the puck drops tomorrow night.

Rather than landing a knockout blow against a short-handed Maple Leafs team at home, the Bruins must now pack their bags and return to Toronto for Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Bruins are looking to right the ship after sleepwalking through the majority of Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss, wasting another excellent performance in net from Jeremy Swayman (31 saves on 33 shots).

Boston’s dismal start on Tuesday and its inability to generate quality games against Leafs backup goaltender Joseph Woll loom large after Toronto kept its season alive for at least two more days.

But the adjustments made to Montgomery’s roster after winning back-to-back at Scotiabank Arena last week also drew plenty of criticism.

Montgomery made the right call in keeping Swayman’s hot hand in Game 5, but he also opted to put forward Johnny Beecher on the fourth line, replacing him with Justin Brazeau. Matt Grzelcyk also returned to the lineup on defense in place of veteran Kevin Shattenkirk.

Brazeau, who hadn’t played since April 2 due to an upper-body injury, was “rusty,” in Montgomery’s eyes, in his playoff debut in Game 5.

The Bruins missed Beecher’s speed on the forecheck Tuesday, as well as his command of faceoff points (54.8 percent this postseason). Toronto won 32 of 53 faceoff opportunities Tuesday night.

A defensive duo of Grzelcyk and Parker Wotherspoon quickly split after a poor start, leading to fewer minutes for Mason Lohrei (16:32) on the third D pair as the game progressed.

The duo of Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy had a change to forget in overtime.

As Grzelcyk struggled to force John Tavares outside as he skated toward Swayman, the Leafs captain fired the puck toward the slot. McAvoy and Charlie Coyle – both monitoring the puck in the blue paint – failed to account for Matthew Knies, who potted the floating biscuit for the overtime winner.

Even if the Bruins were intrigued by Brazeau’s ability to generate A-grade looks or discouraged by Shattenkirk’s courage in the D zone during 5-on-5 play, it’s hard to overlook the results generated by the previous iteration of Boston’s lineup in Games 3 and 4.

Amid these roster critiques, Montgomery defended his adjustments — while accepting the expected objections that followed after a disappointing performance.

“There’s a lot of discussion going on,” Montgomery said. “And in the end, I ended up making decisions that I really believed were best for the Boston Bruins. And when it doesn’t work, I understand that it’s part of the territory.

“I’m going to be guessed a second time, then a third and a fourth. And rightly so. It comes with the territory, just like when you make changes and things work out. It’s the same thing. But I know I’m comfortable with the decisions I made, why I made them, and moving forward with them and the criticism that comes with them.

Bringing Beecher and Shattenkirk back into the lineup could be the right move for a Bruins team that needs to get its game back on the road — or risk hosting another Game 7 at home.

“Beecher and Shatty, in particular, have always responded when they come back into the lineup with a really good effort,” Montgomery noted. “So that gives you the confidence to put them back in.”

Advantage of ice cream at home?

TD Garden hasn’t exactly been kind to the Bruins over the past few years when it comes to critical playoff matchups. With Tuesday’s defeat, Boston is just 1-6 in its last seven games in Game 5 at Causeway Street – with each match decided by a single goal.

Since Montgomery has been behind Boston’s bench, the Bruins are just 2-5 at home in the playoffs.

“Our audience is amazing,” Montgomery said. “So you would think that would get us off to a good start and that’s not the case. And there are factors that come into play. And we’re looking at different ways to improve that, if there’s a Game 7.”

The Bruins have been much better in road playoff games during Montgomery’s tenure, going 4-1 and outscoring their opponents 22-14.

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” Montgomery said of Boston’s strong play so far in Toronto. “We played two very good games there. There’s a little bit of this mentality that we have to bring our own juice, we have to rely on each other… When you’re on the road in the playoffs, you spend all your time together. It’s so much easier to tune out outside noise when you’re on the road.

Carlo authorized

• Despite not playing in overtime Tuesday after recovering the puck in the third period, Brandon Carlo is “good” for Game 6, according to Montgomery.
• Montgomery added that defenseman Andrew Peeke is still “a few weeks away” after suffering an upper-body injury in the second game.
• Montgomery felt like David Pastrnak was building his game in Toronto, but that momentum fizzled in Game 5. Pastrnak had four shots on goal Tuesday in 20:06 of ice time and has totaled just two goals in this series. “It’s hard to say anyone was on the verge of breaking through offensively,” Montgomery said of Boston’s Game 5 performance.
• Charlie McAvoy said the Bruins had a constructive meeting Wednesday morning before the team returned to Toronto. “There were a lot of things we needed to hear, to see,” McAvoy said. “And we will be better off for it.”