“I guarantee you that I’m going to make this up.”
Those are the words Jeremy Swayman said after his ugly start in the Boston Bruins’ 7-5 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 18. The goalie was pulled after two periods and six goals allowed in an uncharacteristic outing.
After the loss, Swayman promised his team he’d fix what went wrong.
And he did.
Swayman made 28 saves Thursday en route to a 5-1 Bruins win over the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden. It was his first start since Oct. 18, and he clearly took his promise to the B’s to heart. Swayman looked poised, confident and was Boston’s best player through two periods, keeping the Bruins in the game with timely saves.
“It was nine days of working hard,” Swayman told reporters after Thursday’s game. “I knew I was gonna get another shot and I wanted to make sure I took advantage of it, talked to the right people, my mentors, and worked hard on the ice, early on and late off every day. It’s been a really fun ride. I’m excited how I played (Thursday) and obviously really excited for the two points.”
Swayman’s two starts prior to Thursday were not his best. He didn’t look how he did last season and, even though it was early in the new campaign, the thought of the goalie having a sophomore slump started to creep into the minds of fans.
But sometimes players just get off to slow starts. Look at Taylor Hall, who clearly was not playing to the level we know he’s capable of and since has turned things around.
“He’s a high-character kid,” head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters of Swayman after the win. “Talking to numerous coaches there and people in the community that I know, people rave about him as a person and we never had any doubt that when he got back in that he was going to put up this kind of performance.”
If Swayman stays on this path, the Bruins’ goalie tandem will be one of, if not the best duo in the NHL. Linus Ullmark is off to a 5-0-0 start with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. He’s emerged as the Bruins’ No. 1 goalie during Swayman’s mini-slump, but after Thursday’s start, Boston might have a very good problem on its hands between the pipes.
Swayman looked sharp from puck drop to the final horn and made sure to fulfill his promise to his teammates.
The Bruins have a quick turnaround, as they play the second game of a back-to-back Friday on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop from Nationwide Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action beginning at 6 p.m. on NESN.
