If the Boston Bruins lose Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, might head coach Jim Montgomery be dismissed after just two seasons in office?
The vultures are already circling and Montgomery’s job security is being questioned as the Boston Bruins, who had a 3-1 series lead, are once again on the edge of elimination in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sportsnet NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and co-host Jeff Marek discussed how Bruins team ownership, president Cam Neely, and general manager Don Sweeney would respond if the team lost another first-round Game 7 on home ice on Saturday night in the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Boston is an extremely demanding company. Although upsets can happen and last year’s big upset shocked everyone, I don’t think the Boston organization, particularly that of the Jacobs family and Cam Neely, will be able to sustain this pattern of 3-1 up, lose, and 3-1 up, lose. Don Sweeney may be intense but he is a very level-headed guy, but I don’t think the Jacobs family, and Cam Neely in particular, will take this well and will not say, “Nothing to see here.” Thus, I believe the Bruins have a lot on the line as well.
Friedman noted, “When people game-plan for you, it’s different in the playoffs.” “Boston is an excellent club during the regular season. They rarely defeat themselves when they play well. Their skill and intelligence will help you win a number of games. They also have a strong goalie. However, they believe that when there is just one team for seven games, things change. How many natural goal scorers do you really have for all of Boston’s hard work and intelligence if they can gameplan for what you do No. 1 and No. 2 if they’re disciplined defensively? That’s especially true for Boston, a few people told me.
