The public offseason contract dispute between the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman was a drawn-out saga that left its mark on both sides. With Swayman never serving as a full-time goalie in the NHL before—serving as a backup or sharing the crease with Linus Ullmark, there was clear concern about whether the 2017 fourth-round pick would be up to the task of being the main player between the pipes. Those arguing against Swayman in these discussions were vindicated early when the 26-year-old struggled out of the gate for the Bruins. Admittedly, just about every player on the team struggled early on and the team is still working toward becoming a more consistent presence in the Atlantic Division this season. Fortunately for the Bruins, however, Swayman seems to have turned a corner as of late and is once again looking like a legitimate cornerstone in the crease.
To start the season, Swayman posted a 12-10-3 record through his first 25 games, allowing 75 goals on 665 shots. For those keeping track, those numbers gave Swayman a 3.00 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage; to say these aren’t starting goaltender numbers would be putting it lightly, especially when the starting goaltender in question is earning $8.25 million annually. Conversely, in his last eight games, Swayman has allowed just 19 goals on 254 shots, good for a 2.37 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. The Bruins may be just 3-5-0 in that stretch, but it’s impossible to argue against Swayman’s play lately.
Realistically, Swayman’s early season woes were never truly a cause for concern. A lack of a preseason, combined with a struggling team in front of him probably led to a slow start, but Swayman has shown in recent years that he is as good a goaltender as there is in the NHL when he’s at his best. The good news for the Bruins is that he’s at his best more often than not. The bad news is that even with Swayman performing, the Bruins are still losing games due to a bevy of reasons that exist in front of him.
Swayman Still Aiming for Improvement
Following the Bruins’ most recent game, a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Swayman made it clear that he wasn’t going to be complacent regardless of his recent success.
“I’ve still got a lot of growth to do,” Swayman said to reporters following the win. “It’s just one game at a time. My job is to maintain that one-shot-at-a-time mentality, keep working in practice and building good habits. That’s what I’ve experienced this year and it’s helped me a lot.”
Regardless of the situation, Swayman has never seemed too high or too low. His attitude has remained competitive but reflective ever since he made his debut with the team during the 2020-21 season and that’s a testament to his maturity and ability to maintain a professional mindset. If the Bruins can find a way to rally around Swayman’s recent success and find a way to convert it into wins, they’ll be in good shape. As it stands, though, the team occupies the second Wild Card spot with 49 games, two points out of the third playoff spot, behind the Lightning in the Atlantic Division and just one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators.
Related: Bruins Offense Needs to Continue Playing Better in Front of Jeremy Swayman
The bad news is that the Bruins have played three more games than the Lightning and two more games than the Senators. The good news is that those teams may not have had a chance to earn points in those games yet, but there’s also no guarantee that they will. Still, it’s hard to look at the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference and not immediately notice the Bruins’ minus-22 goal differential. This mark is the second-lowest in the Eastern Conference and the sixth-lowest in the NHL as a whole; if the Bruins want to actually be considered contenders, they’ll need to figure this out.
