BOSTON — Before Game 3, Jim Montgomery made three lineup changes.
With Andrew Peeke unavailable because of a Game 2 injury, Parker Wotherspoon made his NHL playoff debut on the third pairing. James van Riemsdyk replaced Jakub Lauko at No. 3 left wing. Mason Lohrei took over Matt Grzelcyk’s spot next to Charlie McAvoy.
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The Boston Bruins responded with a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. They took a 2-1 series lead.
Here’s the thing: All of this came after a 3-2 Game 2 loss at TD Garden. It was an opportunity for change.
The same cannot be said before Game 5.
The Bruins had won twice in Toronto. They held a 3-1 series advantage. There was no reason for the Bruins coach to change his wardrobe, let alone his lineup. The lines and pairs that won games 3 and 4 — plus Jeremy Swayman, of course — should have been good enough to close out Round 1.
But Montgomery, with input from his staff, put Grzelcyk and Justin Brazeau in. He took Kevin Shattenkirk and Johnny Beecher out.
It didn’t work. The Bruins lost in overtime2-1. John Tavares’ drive to the net on Grzelcyk helped produce the Matthew Knies winner.
“You don’t want to change things just to change things,” Montgomery said before Game 5. “But if you think your team can get better because of matchups or because of history with players and where you think they might be best utilized to help the Bruins, that’s when you look at potentially making changes.”
When Grzelcyk is right, he denies Tavares from entering the zone cleanly with the puck. In the past, Grzelcyk has used his stick and feet to get up ice, seal off plays early and prevent them from turning into more dangerous opportunities. This is the way the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Grzelcyk has to play.
But this has not been Grzelcyk’s year. He is playing tentatively, perhaps trying to protect himself against yet another injury. It’s why Montgomery tabbed Grzelcyk as the defenseman to sit in place of Lohrei after Game 2.
In overtime, instead of pressing up on Tavares at the blue line, Grzelcyk backed off. This gave Tavares room to enter the offensive zone with speed. The matchup swung in Tavares’ favor. Even if he’s lost a step, Tavares knows how to protect the puck against anyone, especially a smaller defenseman like Grzelcyk. By the time Tavares broke for the net, using his left arm and his body to shield the puck from Grzelcyk, the sequence had turned into a threat for the Bruins.
MATTHEW KNIES HOW DO YOU DO!!!! pic.twitter.com/tzb4wXChdH
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 1, 2024
Knies took over from there.
“This series, game by game, he’s been getting better and better,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of Knies, bumped up to the Leafs’ top line with Tavares and William Nylander because of Auston Matthews’ absence. “I thought tonight, he was terrific. It was very fitting he gets the winner, first on an incredible effort by John Tavares to drive wide and kick the puck to the net front.”
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Grzelcyk was with McAvoy in overtime. That was partly because the Grzelcyk-Wotherspoon duo did not play well together early in the game. Wotherspoon, a left shot, had to move to his off side. Had Shattenkirk stayed in, Wotherspoon could have remained on his strong side.
As for Brazeau, the right wing played with pace in his playoff debut. He had five hits in 10:03 of ice time, starting the night with Pat Maroon and Jesper Boqvist.
But with Brazeau in, Montgomery took out a versatile center/wing in Beecher. The rookie had won 17 of 31 faceoffs through the first four games. His 54.8 percent faceoff percentage led all of the Bruins who took regular draws.
It cost them in Game 5. The Bruins were 21 for 53 at the dot (40 percent). Boqvist, who had to take only four faceoffs through the first four games, was 1 for 3 on Tuesday.
Now Montgomery has decisions to make for Game 6. Does he go back with Shattenkirk and Beecher, who were undoubtedly disappointed to get the hook in Game 5? Does he play Derek Forbort, who was classified as available for Game 5?
Montgomery also has to make a goaltending call. Part of the reason he went with Swayman three straight times was because he had not lost to the Leafs all year.
That has changed. The Leafs know Swayman is human.
Also, Swayman had two days off before his last two starts. That will no longer be the case. The Bruins are scheduled to travel to Toronto on Wednesday afternoon. Game 6 is Thursday. Montgomery has to decide whether to ride Swayman a fourth straight time or go with Linus Ullmark, who last played April 22.
Montgomery had a mulligan in Game 5 because of the Bruins’ 3-1 lead. His margin for error is getting narrower.
(Photo: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)
Fluto Shinzawa is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Bruins. He has covered the team since 2006, formerly as a staff writer for The Boston Globe. Follow Fluto on Twitter @flutoshinzawa
