Goaltending controversy begins in Boston after just 1 game.

If you were paying close attention there was never really any doubt about who would start Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Boston Bruins, despite their best efforts to keep things a mystery.

The Bruins made it very clear at the National Hockey League trade deadline that Jeremy Swayman is their goaltender of the future when they attempted to move Linus Ullmark in a trade, a trade that was blocked by Ullmark as was his contractual right at the time. That also revealed that the Bruins don't view Ullmark as part of their long term future, all of which were signs that Swayman should be the man between the pipes in Game 1 which of course he was.

The Bruins have however been operating with a tandem all season long and have alternated starts between their two goaltenders, a situation that has worked very well for them thus far. That would typically suggest that we will see Ullmark take the net in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, but not so fast.

Comments made by Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery on Saturday now appear to suggest that we already have a minor goaltending controversy going on in Boston, with Swayman perhaps taking full control of the Bruins net for the first time in his young NHL career. Rather than going right to Ullmark for Game 2, Montgomery has now admitted that he is unsure about which direction the Bruins will go.

"We're still contemplating," admitted Montgomery on Sunday.

"It’s gonna be hard to go away from [Swayman] after the way he played."

Montgomery isn't kidding either, Swayman's domination of the Maple Leafs on Saturday night has given the Bruins an early lead in this series, but it also a reflection of the work he has put in against the Maple Leafs this season as well. Swayman has been perfect against the Leafs all season long with a 3-0 record, posting a .959 save percentage over those games. 

His numbers in Game 1 only improved with a .972 save percentage and a 1.01 goals against average.

It looks like Linus Ullmark might be forced to spend more time on the sidelines than he would have liked, but with the Bruins clearly moving towards Swayman as their goaltender of the future, and with Swaynan playing so well, it is very hard to argue with that decision.