Resurgence of Boston Bruins Jeremy Swayman

By: Mike Sullivan | Follow me on Twitter @_MikeSullivan

Remember when a loud group of fans called for Jeremy Swayman to be sent down to Providence or traded at the beginning of the season? I do. Those folks were unequivocally wrong. However, I’m not here writing this article to call those people out but rather to show why it’s better to be patient instead of jumping to such drastic measures.

Jeremy Swayman, the Alaskan native, struggled mightily in the forefront of the 2022-2023 Boston Bruins season. The 24-year-old goaltender was coming off a strong campaign in the 2021-2022 season, leading Bruins faithful to crown him as the goalie of the future. But, Fast-forward to December 2023, and you would’ve thought all Hell had broken loose.

The first two months of the season was disastrous for Swayman. He posted a 5-3-1 record with a .887 save percentage and a 2.80 goals-against average. Then, on December 9th against the Arizona Coyotes, he allowed four goals on 16 shots, and the Bruins universe exploded.

Since that fateful game against the Arizona State University Coyotes, Jeremy Swayman has found his much-needed reset button. In his last 20 starts, Swayman is 14-3-3 with a .933 save percentage, a 1.94 goals-against average, and four shutouts. However, he’s found his confidence between the pipes again and is posting numbers comparable to some of the best netminders in the league.

Recently there have been quiet discussions amongst Bruins fans debating which goaltender to start come playoff time. That’s a conversation that has a clear-cut answer. That answer is Ullmark.

Now, with that being said. I understand the thought process of riding the hot hand in Jeremy Swayman. Still, you have to consider the undisputable fact that Linus Ullmark has consistently been the best Bruins goalie this season, the best goalie in the NHL, and the clear favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s number one goalie. You have to ride with Ullmark until the wheels fall off. (They won’t)

As the National Hockey League playoffs are set to begin in less than a month, and a Bruins team looks poised to make a deep run, there is no better problem to have than two hot goalies coming down the stretch.

I believe the honest debate is not “who to start” come game one of the playoffs but “will Jim Montgomery split time between the two” as he has all season. Unlike last year where Swayman and Ullmark split the season 50/50, Ullmark has seen the majority of starts this season, and rightfully so. He’s earned that role, starting 42 games to Swayman’s 28.

If it were up to me (thank god it isn’t), I would run with Ullmark, and if the Bruins have a comfortable series lead, I would consider Swayman. However, with Linus Ullmark putting up historic numbers, it would be foolish not to run with him come playoff time. The Bruins are in an excellent position heading into their playoff run with two goalies you can depend on. As we all know, ala Tim Thomas, a hot goalie (or goalies in this case) can single-handedly steal you a series.

Buckle up B’s fans; it’s about to be one Hell of a ride.