In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, Bruins forward Morgan Geekie did quite well as the team’s first-line center against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 13. Meanwhile, the same can be said for star goaltender Jeremy Swayman, even if he picked up the loss in the game. Lastly, 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zboril has been placed on waivers, which he requested. Let’s dive into all of this in today’s (Dec. 14) Bruins News & Rumors column now.
Geekie Has Strong Game In Big Role
With Pavel Zacha out day-to-day, the Bruins needed to make some changes to their forward group before their game against the Devils. Due to this, Geekie was jumped up to the first line, centering wingers Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak. It is fair to say that he stepped up big time with the opportunity.
Geekie was the Bruins’ top skater of the night, as he scored the Bruins’ lone goal of the game, securing a James van Riemsdyk rebound in front and burying it past Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek. However, besides the goal, Geekie was extremely impactful throughout the game. He was physical, aggressive on the forecheck, and made smart defensive plays. In the end, it was an impressive night for the 25-year-old.
Following the game, head coach Jim Montgomery praised Geekie, saying, “It was nice to see someone like Geekie flourish in that opportunity. It gets you excited about what our team can continue to grow and be because he really did a good job out there. Played 18 minutes and he was in command of the game in all three zones.”
Clearly, Geekie impressed the Bruins’ bench boss, and he may get the chance to center the top line again if Zacha is not good to go on Dec. 15 against the New York Islanders.
Swayman Excellent In Losing Effort
While Swayman was saddled with an overtime loss against the Devils, he is not to blame. In fact, Swayman was nothing short of excellent against the Devils, saving 33 out of 35 shots on the night. He did everything he could to keep the Bruins in the game, but in the end, the Bruins’ offense just could not take advantage of his stellar play.
Swayman’s night got far busier as the contest went on, too. He faced 11 shots in both the second and third periods (22 total shots), while the Bruins had only 15 shots in the final two periods. Then, in overtime, Swayman faced six shots while the Bruins failed to get a single shot.
Swayman made several saves on high-danger chances and did a very good job keeping the game close. With this overtime loss, the Alaska native now has a 9-1-3 record, a 2.07 goals-against average (GAA), and a .933 save percentage (SV%).
Zboril Hits Waivers
The Bruins placed Zboril on waivers yesterday (Dec. 13), and we will find out at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 14 if another team will claim him. When it was announced that Zboril was hitting the waiver wire, it certainly raised some eyebrows, as he is already in the American Hockey League (AHL). However, it has since been confirmed that the 2015 first-round pick is not having his contract terminated. Instead, the former top prospect requested this waiver placement to see if another NHL team is willing to take a shot on him.
Zboril, 26, failed to make the Bruins’ roster out of training camp and has been with the Providence Bruins since. In 19 games this season with Providence, he has seven assists, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-5 rating.
