By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Entering the 2024-25 National Hockey League season, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the Boston Bruins’ Goaltending. Some wondered if the B’s would struggle with the loss of Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. Others questioned if Jeremy Swayman’s absence from training camp would lead to some early season struggles for the Alaska Native. Ten games into the season and we have some early answers to the questions surrounding Boston’s crease. What have we learned so far?
Jeremy Swayman is Seeing the Majority of the Workload
Despite not starting on opening night against the Florida Panthers, Jeremy Swayman has started seven of the Bruins’ ten games this season. This puts Swayman on pace to play 57 games this season, 13 more than last season, where he set his career high. As expected, the former Maine Black Bear has been the Bruins’ clear number-one goaltender through October.
Joonas Korpisalo Has Shown Flashes of Potential
After a disastrous start to the season in Sunrise, Florida, where Korpisalo surrendered six goals on 35 shots against the Florida Panthers, the Pori, Finland native has shown signs of improvement. Korpisalo bounced back with a 22-save performance in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche, picking up his first victory as a Bruin. Last night, Korpisalo made his first start in almost two weeks against the Philadelphia Flyers and on a night where the Bruins’ were shutout, kept his team in the game.
Korpisalo stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced Tuesday night for a save percentage of .944%, saving 1.15 goals above expected. While his .872% save percentage may not suggest it, Korpisalo has shown signs of being a capable backup goaltender for Boston this season.
No Training Camp? No Problem for Swayman
After missing all seven of the Bruins preseason contests, Jeremy Swayman finally agreed on a $66,000,000 contract with Boston. Despite his October tenth appearance against the Montreal Canadiens being his first game action of the season, Swayman has looked sharp.
At five-on-five play this season, Swayman has a goals saved above average of 2.87, the 12th best amongst NHL goaltenders. His save percentage of .930% and goals-against average of 1.97 is also among the NHL’s best. While his 3-3-1 record may not suggest it, Swayman has largely picked up where he left off last season as one of the league’s top netminders.
High-Danger Opportunities
At all strengths, Boston has allowed 120 high-danger chances against this season, the 12th most in the NHL, and those 120 chances have resulted in 80 high-danger shots on goal. Joonas Korpisalo has faced 28 of those shots and has stopped 23 of them for a high-danger save percentage of .821%. Jeremy Swayman has been tested with 52 high-danger shots and has saved 38 of them coming in with a .731% high-danger save percentage. With the Bruins currently sitting in last in the Atlantic Division, there is a laundry list of things that need improvement, one being the rate at which they force their goaltenders to stop high-danger opportunities.
While Boston has struggled in the early going, their goaltenders have given them a chance to win in most of the ten games they’ve played. That being said, there is still room for improvement. Jeremy Swayman’s current all-situations save percentage of .900% is far below his career metric of .918%. If the Bruins can improve their overall play as a team, both their goaltender’s statistics should improve as well.
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