The Bruins boasted the best 1-2 punch between the pipes in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman during their record-setting 2022-23 regular season.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs were a different story.
After opting for a nearly even allocation of reps for both netminders over the final months of the regular season, Montgomery and goalie coach Bob Essensa deviated from the script under the bright lights of the playoffs.
The results were disastrous. Be it injury, fatigue, or regression from his Vezina-caliber play, a mortal Ullmark earned the nod in net for Boston’s first six contests against the Panthers.