Too much Jeremy Swayman? Bruins' goalie usage concerning as Joonas Korpisalo watches

The Linus Ullmark trade two years ago put a clear line in the sand that Jeremy Swayman was the Boston Bruins' No. 1. Both Swayman and Ullmark were working perfectly in tandem, but the Bruins needed a more cost-efficient backup and more starts for one of their two goalies. They made the right decision choosing Swayman, but new head coach Marco Sturm has to do a better job managing his starts.

It feels like the pendulum swung too far in the positive direction after Swayman's struggles last season. The goaltender couldn't get going after his contract holdout, leading many to question whether he had what it took to shoulder No. 1 duties. Swayman's play early this season silenced those doubters, but now Sturm is putting too much on his shoulders, and it is costing them.

Swayman appeared in four games in a row for the Bruins, losing three of the four games and allowing three or more goals in each of the losses. It has been a consistent day off between each of those starts, but it feels like Joonas Korpisalo could've taken on one of those starts for him. Especially considering he has won each of his last two starts, stopping 63 of 68 shots.

Bruins' goalie usage concerning as Joonas Korpisalo watches

I never want to play armchair head coach, but it feels like Saturday night would've been a great time to give Korpisalo a start. The Vancouver Canucks have been on a hot streak since the Quinn Hughes trade, but the Bruins would've won Saturday night's game in regulation if it weren't for some leaky goals from Swayman. Korpisalo couldn't have done much worse.

Now, the Bruins are going to go with Korpisalo against a division rival in the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. With the Bruins sitting outside the playoff picture in both points and points percentage, the Senators game feels like a must-win, as they are also three points behind Boston with two games in hand. A loss Sunday night will have the Bruins' dream of contending looking worse than it has all season.

You can appreciate Sturm's thought process with starting Swayman, but one area he'll need to work on is looking more at the big picture. If Korpisalo had stolen the Bruins a game against one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, the Bruins would then get Swayman on additional rest against a team you have to beat.

After Korpisalo's comments this past offseason about not getting enough starts, the expectation is that he'd get more this season. His numbers haven't backed up that talk, but the momentum of two great performances in his last two starts might've stalled after sitting on the bench since December 11. Sturm will have to take that on the chin if Korpisalo performs poorly on Sunday night.

If Sturm has no trust in Korpisalo, it might be time for the Michael DiPietro call-up.