By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
At the end of last season, it was evident that the Boston Bruins’ goaltenders did not have their best season, and neither did the team in front of them. It was quickly one to scrap and move forward from, and the Boston Bruins have done that through their first 18 games of the 2025-26 NHL season. Fast-forward to today, the Bruins have won their last seven games, and they are getting consistent and reliable performances from their goaltenders.
At the end of last season, the players met with the media for end-of-season exit interviews. Both goalies answered questions about how the season went for them, letting fans know how they felt and how they would prepare to bounce back in the 2025-26 season. “I don’t think there’s any goalie in the league who’s really comfortable playing 20-25 games. I’m going to push for more games for sure, and we’ll see what happens,” said Korpisalo, who posted an 11-10-3 record with a .893 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.90 goals against average (GAA) over 24 starts with the black and gold.
“I take accountability. I wanted to play better. I know I can play better,” Swayman said at the end of last season. Swayman posted a 22-29-7 record with a .892 SV% and a 3.11 GAA; not the season that the Bruins hoped for after signing him to an eight-year, $66 million contract two days before the season opener. Moving on from last year was essential to Swayman, who, to start, was at training camp this year. Later in the same interview, Swayman said, “One thing that I really want to be is a guy and a goalie who can stay in the moment and really focus on the here and now and not let past stuff affect my present.” That mentality has carried into this season, and his play has reflected it.
Over the last seven games, the Bruins have gone 7-0-0, scoring 27 goals and conceding 17. One of the many things that have been consistent throughout the Bruins’ win streak has been the performance from both Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo. The Bruins’ goaltenders have received praise from head coach Marco Sturm, who is grateful that the Bruins “have the luxury to have two really, really good goaltenders.”
Joonas Korpisalo started the streak off with two impressive wins to end the month of October. On October 28, the Bruins hosted the New York Islanders and allowed two goals early. After that, Korpisalo remained calm and stopped the next 32 shots he faced, including a rush of nine New York shots in the final four minutes of the second period. On the other end of the ice, the Bruins potted five unanswered goals and picked up the 5-2 win. Korpisalo, who totaled 33 saves, was named the game’s first star.
Two days later, on October 30, the Bruins hosted the Buffalo Sabres for their second of three straight home games. For the first time in his Boston Bruins tenure, Joonas Korpisalo started in back-to-back games. The Sabres kept Korpisalo busy in this game, outshooting the Bruins in every period except for overtime. Buffalo scored three, including a Rasmus Dahlin laser from the point and a controversial third goal, but Korpisalo steered aside 37 of the 40 Sabre shots in the win. When asked why he played Korpisalo twice in a row, Sturm said, “he earned the start, that’s why we went back to him. […] He showed it again today.”
The Bruins started November by closing out their homestand with a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins coaching staff turned to Jeremy Swayman for the start. Swayman turned away 28 of 29 Hurricane shots en route to the victory, giving the Bruins their third in a row. It was a quality win for the Bruins, one of their best this season, and it was largely due to Swayman’s performance in net. The only goal Carolina scored was with 2:49 remaining in the third; Swayman had made 27 straight stops until that point. Again, the Bruins’ goaltender was subject to praise from Marco Sturm after the game: “[It] doesn’t surprise me. I expected him to be just like he was today, outstanding.” Swayman was named the first star of the game in the matinee win.
“I just know whenever my name is called, I am going to do whatever I can to help this team win games,” Swayman said after the win against Carolina. Ahead of the Islanders’ game on November 4, Marco Sturm said he was sticking with the same lineup, keeping Jeremy Swayman between the pipes. The Bruins picked up a shootout win on Long Island, taking the two points in a 4-3 win. Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves, including two in overtime, and added another stop on Simon Holmstrom in the shootout. His second straight win, and the Bruins’ fourth in a row, brought the team above a .500 record.
The Bruins had another matchup with the Senators, but this time it was on November 6 at the TD Garden. It was up to Joonas Korpisalo, the former Ottawa Senator, to keep the win streak alive. It was a quiet first period for the Finnish goaltender, conceding the first shot on goal and recording his first save 18:54 into the game. However, after the first goal, Korpisalo was dealt 20 Senators shots and stood tall during a flurry in the third period. It was a good win for Joonas Korpisalo, who maintained a high level of play after trailing, keeping the Bruins in the game. Since the trade that brought him to Boston, Korpisalo has yet to lose to the Senators, and they are next up on the schedule.
The Bruins squared off against the Maple Leafs in two games, one in Toronto on Saturday and the second in Boston on Tuesday. Jeremy Swayman started both games for the Bruins. On Saturday night, Swayman stopped 30 of 33 shots, including a late push where a trailing Toronto threw 15 shots on goal in the third period. Back in Boston on Tuesday, Swayman turned away 27 of the 30 Toronto shots, which includes a scary helmet save. Swayman backstopped the Bruins to 5-3 wins in both contests.
“I stay out of the goalie stuff. I let Bob handle it,” Marco Sturm said after practice on October 31. Bob has handled it for a while. Since 2003, the Bruins have been fortunate to have Bob Essensa as their goaltending coach. When Essensa was hired, the General Manager was Mike O’Connell, and Head Coach Mike Sullivan was starting his first season behind the Bruins’ bench. Things look a little different today. Essensa’s role takes the goaltenders away from Marco Sturm, allowing him to focus on the skaters. Throughout his 22 years with the Bruins, Essensa has worked tirelessly with elite goaltending talent, overseeing Vezina Trophy seasons from Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, and Linus Ullmark while they were with the Bruins. Over the years, he has formed an excellent relationship with Jeremy Swayman, and this is his second year working with Joonas Korpisalo.
Over the Bruins’ seven-game win streak, Jeremy Swayman has posted a 4-0-0 record; he has turned away 118 of the 128 shots he has faced, carrying a .922 SV% and a 2.45 GAA in the last four. Joonas Korpisalo has gone 3-0-0, with a .928 SV% and a 2.25 GAA, making 90 saves on 97 shots.
After an up-and-down season last year, both Swayman and Korpisalo made it known that they wanted to have a better showing this season. They have done so thus far. Over the last seven games, both goaltenders have stepped up, performing consistently and helping the black and gold skate to seven straight wins. Jeremy Swayman seemingly has his game back, and Joonas Korpisalo came out of the gate swinging, proving why he deserves more games this year and stepping up when the moment presents itself. With the work Bob Essensa has done throughout his time in Boston, if this tandem can continue to be a reliable option for the Bruins, this season will shape out to be a lot different than last year.
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