By: Julia Simone | Follow me on Twitter / X @j_simone40

The Boston Bruins season has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. The Bruins currently sit third in the Atlantic division and sixth in the eastern conference, with a 20-14-4 record. Looking at the overall standings for the league, the club is in the middle of the pack, occupying the 12th spot. So far this season, Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo have been rotating games. The Bruins should continue to do this for the remainder of the season, and here’s why.

Last season, the Boston Bruins had the best goaltending duo in the league between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Ullmark had just come off a Vezina Trophy-winning season. He posted a 16-7-7 record, allowed 2.77 goals per game, and had a .909 save percentage. Meanwhile, his counterpart, Swayman, posted a 21-8-6 record, 2.36 goals against average, and had a .922 save percentage before playoffs. Between rotating both goaltenders, the Bruins finished the season with a 47-20-15 record and finished second in the Atlantic division. During the Bruins’ playoff run this past season, Swayman was named the starter and occupied the net consistently. At the end of the season, Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and forward Mark Kastelic.

Swayman’s Performance

This season both Bruins netminders have been playing average at best. This is worrisome for Bruins fans, as the team is coming off having the best goaltender pairing in the league. At the start of the season, Swayman signed an eight-year, $66 million deal to remind Bruins fans. This season thus far, Swayman has registered a 13-10-3 record through 26 games and has a .890 save percentage. Note that his save percentage has dropped below .900. He also has one shutout on the season that he earned on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This marks his 14th shutout of his career.

Korpisalo’s Performance

Joonas Korpisalo started the season shaky, as his opening night appearance was not one that he or Bruins fans wanted to remember. He let in six goals against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. Since opening night, Korpisalo has improved his performance and started to find his game. This season, He has registered a 7-4-1 record through 13 games and has a .895 save percentage. He currently has a better save percentage than Swayman, but both Boston goaltenders are still under a .900 save percentage overall.

Since the start of the season, the team has rotated goaltenders, with Swayman playing two games and Korpisalo playing one. The Bruins should continue this trend because it allows each goaltender to stay fresh, improve their games, and rest throughout the season.

An NHL season, not including playoffs, is 82 games. With Swayman and Korpisalo rotating games throughout the season, each of them will play an average of 40 games. The Bruins should do this for the second half of the 2024-2025 season if they want to improve their overall record and put themselves in a decent playoff spot.