The Boston Bruins aren’t ruling out a goalie change for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers.
In fact, Boston coach Jim Montgomery thought about pulling starter Linus Ullmark during Game 6 on Friday night, a 7-5 loss for the Bruins in which Ullmark gave up six goals on 32 shots. Now the Bruins face elimination when they clash with Florida for a final time Sunday — and every player is under review.
Montgomery ultimately chose to stick with Ullmark in Game 6, but he didn’t say whether Ullmark or backup Jeremy Swayman would get the call in Game 7.
“We communicate with everybody involved, and we thought it was the kind of game we were going to pull out,” Montgomery said of not pulling Ullmark. “I think Linus is fine. I looked at him in his eyes a few times when he came back to the bench. I liked the way his eyes were looking. He looked intense and he looked keen.”
Ullmark had been a spectacular presence in the crease for Boston during the regular season, going 40-6-1 with a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average to be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy. The Bruins’ No. 1 gave up four goals or more only twice through 49 appearances, but Ullmark has ceded four or more scores three times already in this series alone.
“I just couldn’t make one more save. That’s it,” Ullmark said Friday. “Sometimes that’s just part of the game where that happens and today was one of those games. Today was just one of those days.”
Swayman was 24-6-4 with a .920 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA in the regular season. He took over for Ullmark in the final minutes of Boston’s Game 4 victory after Ullmark earned a penalty for tussling with Matthew Tkachuk. Otherwise, the Bruins have leaned on Ullmark. But after taking a 3-1 series lead following a 6-2 win in Game 4, they’ve dropped two straight and will have to try closing the Panthers out on home ice.
Questions swirled around Ullmark’s health and whether he’s battling an injury that has contributed to his uncharacteristically poor play. When asked how he was feeling physically after Game 6, Ullmark said, “I feel good. Thanks.”
Montgomery has until Sunday to decide who will man the net in Game 7, where the Bruins will also try to break the curse of recent President’s Trophy winners. Boston put together a historic regular season with 65 wins and 135 points. But since 2007-08 only one President’s Trophy winner has also won a Stanley Cup — and that was the Chicago Blackhawks in a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.
The Bruins will need to make the right call on their goaltending — and, frankly, everywhere else — to avoid carrying on the recent tradition of tough postseason results for regular-season champions.
CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker had the fans on their feet, roaring and pumping their fists as he rounded the bases after hitting the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning. His screaming line drive cleared the right-field wall with plenty of room to spare.
The Chicago Cubs went from giving up 10 runs in the eighth to scoring six in the bottom half and beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 on Friday in one of the wildest games on record.
The two teams combined for 21 runs in the seventh and eighth innings, with the Cubs scoring 11 runs and the D-backs plating 10. It was the first nine-inning game in MLB history in which both teams scored 10 or more runs from the seventh inning on, and the third game overall, according to ESPN Research.
“That’s kind of baseball,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game, especially with how many games we play.”
There haven’t been many games like this, though.
The Cubs are just the seventh team in at least the past 125 seasons to allow 10 or more runs in an inning and win. They are also the fifth team to give up 10 or more runs and score six or more in the same inning.
The 16 combined runs in the eighth were the most in an inning at Wrigley Field, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“If you’ve seen that one, you’ve been around for a while,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said with a laugh. “It was crazy. You know, we gave up 10 runs in an inning and we won. So it was a wild game, but we kept going, and, you know, there’s 27 outs in a game and this kind of proves it, and you’re just happy to get out with a win.”
On a warm day with the ball carrying, Carson Kelly homered twice. Ian Happ belted a grand slam and Seiya Suzuki went deep, helping the Cubs open a weekend series on a winning note.
“You’ve seen it early — having some tough losses, coming back winning the next day,” Happ said. “Losing the first game of the series, winning the series. Little things like that. Today’s a great example of professional hitters going out there and continuing to have really good at-bats.”
The way things transpired in the final two innings was something to see.
Kelly hit a two-run homer in the second against Corbin Burnes, and Happ came through with his grand slam against Ryne Nelson as part of a five-run seventh. But just when it looked as if the Cubs were in control with a 7-1 lead, things took a wild turn in the eighth.
The crowd of more than 39,000 let the Cubs hear it, but their team regrouped in the bottom half. Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner leading off and walked Pete Crow-Armstrong before Kelly drove a three-run homer to center. Tucker, the Cubs’ prized offseason addition, came through after Happ singled with one out. Suzuki followed with his drive against Joe Mantiply to give the Cubs a 13-11 lead.
Arizona, which had won five straight, became just the third team over the past 50 seasons to lose a game in which it had a 10-run inning at any point, according to ESPN Research.
“You just got to stay locked in,” Kelly said. “Obviously, you don’t want to … give up 10 in an inning. Obviously, you don’t want to do that. I think the biggest thing is coming back, regrouping and continuing to fight.”
Major League Baseball suspended New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount, the result of his actions during Thursday night’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Chisholm was ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire John Bacon for arguing after a called third strike on a full-count pitch from Mason Montgomery that appeared low.
Minutes later, he posted on his X account, “Not even f—ing close!!!!!” then deleted the post.
“I didn’t think before I had anything that I said was ejectable but after probably,” Chisholm said after the game. “I’m a competitor, so when I go out there and I feel like I’m right and you’re saying something to me that I think doesn’t make sense, I’m going to get fired up and be upset.
“I lost my emotions. I lost my cool. I got to be better than that. … I’m definitely mad at myself for losing my cool.”
Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said Friday’s discipline was for Chisholm’s “conduct, including his violation of Major League Baseball’s Social Media Policy for Major League Players.”
MLB regulations ban the use of electronic devices during games. The social media policy prohibits “displaying or transmitting content that questions the impartiality of or otherwise denigrates a major league umpire.”
Chisholm did appeal the decision, allowing him to play in Friday night’s 1-0 win against the Rays. He started at second base and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ series opener Friday night against the Rangers that Ohtani was with his wife and going on MLB’s paternity list.
“He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to come back and I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby, but obviously they’re together in anticipation.”
The 30-year-old Ohtani posted on his Instagram account in late December that he and his 28-year-old wife, a former professional basketball player from his native Japan, were expecting a baby in 2025.
“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” said the Dec. 28 post that included a photo showing the couple’s beloved dog, Decoy, as well as a pink ruffled onesie along with baby shoes and a sonogram that was covered by a baby emoji.
Ohtani can miss up to three games while on paternity leave. The Dodgers have a three-game series in Texas before an off day Monday, then play the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.