By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter/X @RyanJBosworth
Bruins’ netminder Jeremy Swayman has had no shortage of strong performances this year. His best play, though, has come of late, as the Bruins are really making a push for the playoffs. He has been giving his team every opportunity to win.
Swayman is bouncing back strong after what was a really weak year after signing a massive eight year, $66 million contract after holding out until the end of training camp. Many pinned the Bruins 33-39-10 record on the contract dispute. This year, Swayman is proving he’s a $66 million goaltender.
“He makes it really hard on me…he’s just playing so good,” Marco Sturm said on the temptation to continue playing Swayman despite the aggressive workload that would present.
All too often this season, the Bruins and those around them have been asking where this team would be without Swayman, and the answer is simple: they’d be in the bottom of the standings.
Swayman’s best game of the season came last Saturday in Detroit, and it was a game that had the biggest influence on playoff probability to this point of the year. Luckily, his teammates showed up in front of him, and they were able to secure a victory.
Unfortunately, they were unable to write the same story on Tuesday against Toronto, as the struggling Maple Leafs came into town and just steamrolled everyone but Swayman.
There’s a downside to Swayman’s dominant performances, and that’s something outside of his control: how his teammates play in front of him. And in the game against Toronto, it was on full display.
“Play, first of all, better in front of him. Take care of playing good defense. I think we’ve been spoiled, maybe. Even in the games we won,” Marco Sturm said, when asked how the Bruins can make Swayman’s life easier. “If you look at the expected goals against, it was a little bit high, and we get spoiled by our goalies.”
Adding on to Marco’s point about the goals saved above expected, the Bruins’ +11.7 is from team goaltending, not looking at Swayman on his own. Among goaltenders in the league that have played at least one game, Swayman ranks third overall in goals saved above expected, with +28.3. He’s been playing on his head, but his team isn’t always able to capitalize on it.
If the Bruins continue this trend of falling flat in front of a strong performance from Swayman, or even Korpisalo (because let’s be honest, it’s happened) their playoff hopes will continue to slip and slip. With ten games remaining, and a majority of them on the road, it’s critical that the Bruins play to their ability in front of the strong goaltending they’ve been getting.
With ten games remaining, and two of them back-to-back against playoff teams, Swayman’s workload is going to be heavy. It’s just as crucial that he’s sharp as it is that his teammates are sharp.
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