3 most important Boston Bruins players down the stretch

Boston Bruins No. 1 Most Important Player- Linus Ullmark

Of course, the No. 1 spot was always going to go to Linus Ullmark, the odds-on favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender. Honestly, this week alone probably sealed it, starting with his goal against the Vancouver Canucks and finishing with his franchise record 54 save outing against the Calgary Flames.

But there’s still plenty to watch for down the stretch. Will Ullmark begin to fade with the wear of playing so many of the team’s games? Hopefully coach Jim Montgomery will find spots to rest his star goalie, as backup Jeremy Swayman hasn’t been too shabby of late either.

There’s also the so-called Triple Crown Watch that Ullmark is on. If he manages to lead the league in Wins, Save Percentage, and Goals Against Average, he’ll become the first goalie to win the Triple Crown since Carey Price in 2015.

He currently leads all three categories, and by a decent margin for the most part. That’s one of the biggest things we’ll be watching and rooting for down the stretch, because if he pulls that off, it will thrust him squarely into the Hart Trophy conversation. He won’t win, because Connor McDavid is an alien, but just being in the discussion as a goalie is incredible.

But the final reason Linus Ullmark is the Boston Bruins most important player down the stretch is because he’s the one who is going to have to lead this team into the playoffs for a (hopefully) deep run. Keeping him on the yearlong heater he’s been on so far is the only thing that matters for the Bruins at this point.

Goaltending is what wins Stanley Cups, and the Bruins have the best goalie in the league. The team in front is stacked too, but in the end, Linus Ullmark is going to determine how far this group goes.