BOSTON –– Jeremy Swayman looked down the Boston Bruins’ bench as Saturday’s shootout against the Detroit Red Wings ensued.
His teammates knew nothing was going to get by the goaltender. Swayman’s confidence was infectious from across the ice.
“It seemed like he was just like in the zone or a flow state or whatever he was in,” Mark Kastelic said. “He’s been huge for us in the shootouts this year, that’s for sure.”
Swayman made save after save through regulation, and had three more to give, securing the 3-2 win at TD Garden. He finished the night with a total of 24 stops.
“I knew that it was going to be a big momentum win for us, so staying with that one-shot-at-a-time mentality, just focusing on that breakaway at hand,” Swayman said.
“Just excited to be part of it. I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin, couldn’t be happier to be part of this team, playing in this league. That gratitude really overwhelms me. I like to play with that gratitude and that happiness. Good things happen.”
Swayman’s consistency has been central to the Bruins’ success despite battling through injuries for the majority of the season. Head coach Marco Sturm has not hesitated to turn to Swayman when a win is needed.
“It’s huge. You guys feel it, the fans, everyone, upstairs, we feel it. And most importantly, our players feel it,” Sturm said. “It’s such a good feeling when you have that. All year long, since day one I met him, he’s been rock solid off the ice and on the ice.”
Swayman kept things scoreless in the first period before the Bruins broke through in the second, thanks to Morgan Geekie. The forward – who has six goals in the last five games – got in front of Detroit’s net and tipped in Elias Lindholm’s shot from the point for the 1-0 advantage at 4:25.
