If James van Riemsdyk was given the option of going 21 straight games over two months without a goal so he could score one big one for the Boston Bruins in the playoffs? Sign him up.

“I’d like to think I was saving them for the playoffs,” he said smiling. “I’ll definitely take it if that was the trade-off.”

Van Riemsdyk, who regularly scored 15-20 goals a year earlier in his career with Philadelphia and Toronto, didn’t score in his last 20 regular-season games for Boston, which included a stretch when he was weakened by illness. That drought likely led to him not dressing for the first two games of the Bruins’ best-of-seven first-round playoff series against Toronto.

“Toward the second half of the year, I felt a little snakebit at times,” he said.

But he was back in the lineup for Game 3 and impressed Bruins Coach Jim Montgomery, who put him back in the lineup Saturday for Game 4 and was rewarded for it when van Riemsdyk scored to give Boston an early lead in their 3-1 victory.

“I thought he played really well in Game 3 and he just continued that,” Montgomery said. “You can see the confidence coming.”

Van Riemsdyk hadn’t scored a goal in over two months entering the game. But whatever urgency he felt to end that streak didn’t lead to him rushing. Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei made an aggressive play on the left-wing boards, getting his stick on Toronto forward Ryan Reaves’ clear attempt, causing it to deflect toward the middle.

Van Riemsdyk collected it just inside the left circle. While many players would have shot the puck immediately, he waited as Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov came out. The former Leaf shifted from forehand to backhand and shoved it through the five-hole to make it 1-0 with 4:51 left in the first period.

“When I looked up, I felt like I had some more time. I didn’t want to just throw a shot right away,” van Riemsdyk said. “I thought I could try to make a move to my backhand try to get a hole. He had my number the other night, so it was nice to get one.”

Montgomery was more effusive.

“There’s not a lot of people who can make those kind of poised plays,” Montgomery said. “That’s why he has so many goals in his career.”

The goal put the Leafs on their heels and they never recovered. Boston leads the best-of-seven series, 3-1, heading into a possible closeout Game 5 on Tuesday at TD Garden.

In a week, van Riemsdyk will turn 35. He doesn’t know how many years he has left, so he doesn’t take playing in the playoffs and scoring big goals for granted.

“You just try to stick with it and have a good process day in and day out,” he said. “The more years you play, the more you realize how fun this time of year is, how hard this time of year is and how hard it is to win. I think again you’re grateful for these opportunities and cherish moments like this.”

AFTER WATCHING Jeremy Swayman win his third game of the series to put the Bruins on the brink of advancing past the Maple Leafs to the second round, Montgomery explained what caused him to break his goalie rotation in Game 4.

“He played great,” Montgomery said. “He played so well. We were going to go with the hot hand.”

Swayman made 25 saves. He stopped 35 shots in the Bruins’ 5-1 Game 1 win and 28 in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory in Game 3.

The Boston will try to eliminate the Leafs in Game 5 on Tuesday at TD Garden.

According to Renaud Lavoie, who covers hockey in French and English, Montgomery explained his motives further in a French interview with TVA Sports.

Lavoie tweeted:

“Jim Montgomery told @TVASports in a post game interview that the plan was to give one start to each goalie and play the one that was hot after. That explains why Jeremy Swayman played again tonight.”

Montgomery wouldn’t say whether or not he’ll stay with the hot hand again.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll find out on Tuesday.”

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