Will Jeremy Swayman get a Game 3 start for the Bruins?

Bruins

“He’s going to make decisions that are going to help the team. And all I can say is I can’t wait for Friday.”

SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers did the unthinkable Wednesday night.

They made Jeremy Swayman look deadly between the pipes.

At least, that’s how the optics looked in Game 2 at Amerant Bank Arena – with Swayman relegated to Boston’s bench after a fourth Panthers skater found string on his watch .

It was the first time in the playoffs that Swayman had given up more than two goals in a game – shattering the growing sentiment that he had gone from balanced goaltender to unwavering D-zone cheat code in the span of a few weeks.

But one look at the lopsided scoresheet doesn’t tell the whole story of Swayman’s role in Boston’s 6-1 loss.

Nor does the sight of Linus Ullmark in front of the net during the final 18:32 of Wednesday’s third-period hubbub constitute concrete evidence that the veteran will be the first goaltender on the ice for Game 3 on Friday night.

Because on a miserable night where the Bruins were bruised and beaten by a re-engaged Panthers team, their goaltending was the least of their problems.

“No, workload didn’t play into Jeremy Swayman’s game,” Jim Montgomery said of Swayman’s heavy reps. “The workload played into our efforts tonight. We didn’t drink any juice tonight.

A five-goal loss likely would have been much harsher without Swayman — especially in a game where Boston’s puck carriers handled the cookie-cutter hand grenades. This repeated fumbling allowed Swayman to catch any resulting shrapnel in the crease.

After Eetu Luostarinen’s goal just 1:28 into the third period, Montgomery offered some words of encouragement to Swayman as he headed down the tunnel.

“I trust this guy with my life,” Swayman said of his quick conversation with Montgomery. “He’s going to make decisions that will help the team. And all I can say is I can’t wait for Friday.

Montgomery had little reason to emphasize Swayman’s courage in net, not with the errors piling up in front of him throughout Wednesday’s sloppy performance.

“Swayman was great,” Montgomery added. “I thought about eliminating him at 3-1, before the third. And then when the fourth goal came in, I was like, “I’m knocking it out now.” He made two great saves before (Luostarinen’s goal) came into play.”

Of Florida’s four goals against Swayman, two were generated by sharp shifts by Charlie McAvoy – with the helpless defenseman unable to equalize Aleksander Barkov’s rebound at 9:49 in the second period before screening his goaltender on Gustav Forsling’s buzzer (one (game generated following a failure by Brad Marchand).

Miscommunication and a defensive breakdown led an uncovered Steven Lorentz to redirect a Brandon Montour shot past Swayman for Florida’s first goal at 1:56 of the second, while Luostarinen’s haymaker capped a streak that the Bruins initially thought to be ice cream and ended with Brandon Carlo. spitting the puck along the boards.

Swayman was far from the reason the Bruins now return to TD Garden stuck in a 1-1 series deadlock. But will that be enough to keep Boston from turning to Ullmark in Game 3?

Don Sweeney emphasized before Boston’s playoff run that “performance and results will dictate” any changes to the Bruins’ goaltending rotation during this series. That was validated by Swayman winning seven straight starts en route to a gutsy first-round triumph over the Maple Leafs and a 38-save gem against Florida on Monday night.

Wednesday’s loss would seem to indicate that it’s Ullmark’s turn to try to stem the tide. This is a contingency plan that most teams would like to have at their disposal, especially with the reigning Vezina Trophy winner posting a .947 save percentage in three appearances against Florida during the regular season.

Rest isn’t a problem for Ullmark, who last started a game April 22 against Toronto.

It’s a results-based deal in the NHL, especially at this point in the league schedule. But on a night where his skaters largely left him in the lurch, should Swayman be the one to gain the upper hand in what has all the makings of a pugnacious revenge on Causeway Street?

After Wednesday’s loss, Swayman’s save percentage plummeted…to an excellent .943 in eight games. According to Natural Stat Trick, Swayman leads all playoff goalkeepers in goals saved above average at 9.14. New York’s Igor Shesterkin ranks second in the same category with 4.33 goals saved above average.

Swayman did little to persuade the Bruins to make a change — although Wednesday’s final score might tell a different story.

“One game at a time, that’s all I’m worried about,” Swayman noted. “The body feels good. I’m very lucky to be in this position. And I can’t wait until Friday.

It remains to be seen whether he will spend Friday on the bench or behind the net.