Jeremy Swayman is in a giving mood. That is when he isn't denying opponents' scoring opportunities.
The Boston Bruins goaltender credited his teammates Tuesday after the NHL named him its Rookie of the Month for February. It's the first such honor for Swayman, but he reacted to it with the poise of a seasoned professional.
"It's a huge honor, but honestly it couldn't have happened without the team in front of me," Swayman said, per the Bruins' website. "It's just been so fun to play with these guys every day and go to work. It's just been a really fun time, especially on this West Coast road trip.
"I think the communication between the defense and I, and the forwards taking a lot of pride in the defensive zone. Again, I really can't take the credit for all of these wins coming in because it's been a team effort the whole way through. It's been fun to be a part of and guys are really playing for the crest every night. I think that's why we've had a lot of success lately."
Swayman went 5-1-1 last month, pacing the NHL with both a .960 save percentage and a 1.13 1.13 goals-against average. These stellar stats represent a positive reaction to head coach Bruce Cassidy calling out the 23-year-old netminder Feb. 8, following Boston's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. If Swayman maintains this form for another month, he might push himself into the conversation for other awards, including the Calder Trophy, which the NHL awards to the outstanding rookie in a given season.
However, Swayman can't afford to rest on this latest laurel as he's in tight competition with Linus Ullmark to be the Bruins' No. 1 goaltender down the stretch and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And it's safe to assume Swayman already has realized and accepted this fact of life at this point in his budding NHL career.
