Bruins' playoff run proved Jeremy Swayman is No. 1 goalie going forward originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Two of the biggest question marks for the Boston Bruins entering the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs centered around Jeremy Swayman. Could the young goalie handle the heavy workload of a postseason run that went more than one round, and could he also consistently perform at a high level?
Even though the Bruins' quest for the Stanley Cup ended in disappointing fashion Friday night with a Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers in the second round, the answer to both of those questions was an emphatic yes.
This fact alone makes the 2023-24 season a successful one because now the Bruins have much-needed clarity on the goalie situation going forward.
“I think the whole year was an incredible year of growth,” Swayman said after Game 6. “Not only for myself, but everyone on this team. That’s what I’m most proud of. These guys not taking no for an answer. We were doubted from the beginning, obviously losing huge pieces. Everyone stepping up and making a name for themselves. I would be a part of that a thousand times over if I could.”
Swayman did not play well over the final five weeks of the regular season. He ranked 41st in save percentage (.884) and 21st in GAA (2.87) after the March 8 trade deadline. He gave up three or more goals in 11 of the last 17 games he played during that span.
But his performance drastically improved come playoff time. And not only did he play at an elite level, he showed no signs of fatigue or physical wear and tear despite making a career-high 11 consecutive starts. Before the playoffs, Swayman had never started more than six straight games.
"Jeremy Swayman was terrific. Night in, night out he gave us an opportunity to win by making sensational saves," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after Game 6. "His competitiveness was something our players and our bench fed off of."
Swayman was the Bruins' most outstanding and most valuable player through two rounds. He also played with the type of passion and confidence that teams want from their best players. Without his excellent play in net, the Bruins would not have escaped the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and their exit to the Panthers would have been far uglier.
In the post-series handshake line between the Bruins and Panthers, several people on the Florida side, including star forward Matthew Tkachuk and head coach Paul Maurice, had a long embrace with Swayman -- a sign of respect toward Boston's netminder.
"(Swayman) got us to this point. He pretty much won us the Toronto series. Kept us in that," Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk said after Game 6. "I know goalies feel like every mistake is a goal. But sometimes it’s not even a mistake. He covered for a lot of ours. That’s what guys were saying. ‘Just keep your head up, man. You’re a stud.’ He really took his game off in the playoffs. He should be proud of that.”
Swayman exits the playoffs as the league's top goaltender. He ranked top five in pretty much every category through his 12 games played, including No. 1 in save percentage.
!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r
The source of the news
The source of the news