Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made another step in his recovery.
Swayman returned to practice Tuesday morning for the first time since being injured in Boston’s 6-5 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 1. Swayman was ruled week-to-week after colliding with Patrice Bergeron in his net. The extent of his injury has yet to be revealed, but head coach Jim Montgomery did tell reporters Swayman was a few days “ahead of schedule.”
Swayman was at Warrior Ice Arena as the third goalie, meaning there still are a few hurdles to clear before he returns to game action. Still, it’s an important step and he’s feeling better just two weeks after the injury occurred, something Swayman credits the Penguins medical staff for.
“I had complete trust in the medical staff. It all started in Pittsburgh actually with their medical staff treating me as their own, really got me in the right direction,” Swayman told reporters following practice. “The University of Pittsburgh got me an MRI right away the next day then letting (manager of player rehabilitation) Scotty Waugh and the crew take over. I couldn’t be in better hands.
“I’ve never been carried off the ice before, I never want to again. But I was feeling it out right after I got off the ice and being able to put weight on it was definitely a positive. Again, I just let the Pittsburgh staff take over … and trust what they had to say. I’m really, really fortunate to be in the position that I am.”
There still is no timetable for when Swayman will return to game action, but he’s leaving everything to the medical team to get him back quickly.
“I’m gonna do everything I can to be game ready, but I trust the medical staff here,” Swayman told reporters. “Scotty Waugh, everything he says I’m doing to the best of my ability, and I’m gonna do everything I can to get back as soon as possible.”
That certainly will be music to Linus Ullmark’s ears, who’s played in all but one game since Swayman went down with injury. Ullmark is playing at a high level, while Keith Kinkaid also has been strong in net when called upon, but making sure Ullmark doesn’t get overplayed will be crucial to the Bruins in keeping their hot streak going.
“Linus is playing too many games. He’s leading the league in games played right, so we want to get Sways back as soon as possible,” Montgomery told reporters. “I can’t say it’s a rotation we’re going to get back to but getting more of a split rotation going.”
Montgomery did note that Swayman is “starting to check the boxes,” a phrase he used with Charlie McAvoy upon his return, so we know a return is on the horizon.
We’ll see if anything else changes in terms of Swayman’s recovery over the next few days. The Bruins don’t return to the ice until Thursday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
