By: Brandon Murdock | Follow me on Twitter/X @Brandonmurdoc11
The Boston Bruins have struggled since the calendar flipped from March to April. In three games this month, the Bruins are 0-2-1 after dropping two games in Florida against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Yesterday, in game three of the current four-game road trip, the B’s lost in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers. Luckily for Boston, the teams behind them have been losing as well, so they have not lost much ground in the race and still hold the top wild-card spot in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
In these three games, the Bruins’ offense has struggled to score, averaging just one goal per game. The chances have been slim to none, as the offense as a whole has looked flat and is a cause for concern as the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs quickly approach. Fortunately for the Bruins, while the goals have not been coming, the goalies have remained the backbone.
Jeremy Swayman has been a bulldog in this bounce-back season after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, posting a 2.70 goals-against-average with a .908 save percentage in his 51 games played and a 30-17-4 record. He could be in the conversation for the Vezina Award, given to the NHL’s best goaltender.
In 12 previous games, the 27-year-old Alaska native has posted a 2.23 GAA, a .919 save percentage, and an 8-4 record. He has been fantastic post-Olympic break.
In the Panthers game last Thursday night, Swayman made 22 of 24 saves, which included many timely saves as well as some incredible ones. He followed that up by stopping 20 of 22 shots from the high-powered Lightning offense. While Boston did leave both games without a point, he certainly gave them a chance.
Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t exactly followed suit, having a 3.22 GAA and a .891 save percentage. The numbers could look better if it weren’t for a tough start to the season, where he didn’t record a save percentage over .900 until his fifth start of the year. Despite the struggles at times, he has still been given starts in big games, including against the Buffalo Sabers and Dallas Stars in March.
He got the game against the Flyers and had another fantastic performance. He saw the puck well, stopping 29 of 31 shots, and made several big saves throughout the game.
His biggest one was in the final five minutes of the game, where he made the original save on Jamie Drysdale, then followed that up by immediately kicking out his leg to rob Tyson Foerster on the doorstep to keep the game tied. The team ultimately lost in overtime, 2-1.
Throughout the season, there have been many inconsistencies for the Bruins, but goaltending has not been one of them. Coming down the stretch, it’s clear that to have postseason success, you need to have strong goaltending, and that is exactly what the B’s have.
Leave a Reply