By: Brandon Murdock | Follow me on Twitter/X @Brandonmurdoc11
It is hard to make the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs; it is even harder when you don’t get good goaltending or defensive structure. Fortunately for the Boston Bruins, since the Olympics, Jeremy Swayman has been on another level as the 2025-26 regular season winds down with 15 games remaining.
Since returning from the Olympics on February 28th, Swayman has been dominant in his last six games. His record is 4-2 with a 1.91 goals against average and .903 save percentage. He has also only given up more than two goals in a game once over that stretch. Although the shutouts have not come, the big saves certainly have.
This run of dominance follows a 10-game stretch in which Swayman posted a 3.79 GAA and a .897 save percentage. As well as having a tough game in the Olympics for Team USA against Denmark, where he gave up three goals, including one from center ice. It is unclear what turned things around for Swayman, but the Bruins and the fanbase are happy nonetheless.
In Swayman’s last six games, he has not only made the routine saves, but also the extraordinary ones. The defense, at times, has left him out to dry, but he has been more than capable of stepping up to the moment.
His most impressive game over this span would have to be the Pittsburgh Penguins game on March 3rd. Against a playoff team, the Bruins won 2-1, with Swayman making 34 saves on 35 shots.
In his most recent game in Washington, with the Bruins losers of seven in a row on the road, it felt like it would take a monster performance to end that streak, and that is exactly what they got. While everyone might be talking about Charlie McAvoy’s two-goal game, Swayman was able to stop 26 of 28 shots from the backend.
But what Swayman will really be remembered for in this game will be the shootout. In a shootout that saw 18 players from both teams take shots, only one scored: Fraser Minten. This means Swayman went a perfect 9-for-9 in the shootout.
This is the first time a Bruins goalie has accomplished this, with the closest being Tim Thomas in 2007, who went 8-for-8 in the shootout. He is also the eighth goalie in NHL history to not allow a goal in a shootout that went nine rounds or longer—the definition of locked in.
Swayman’s current form has given the team a lot of confidence as it heads down the stretch in a playoff race. It is always easier when you know your goalie will make a big save when you need one.
Ahead of his game tonight against the Montreal Canadians, the win on Saturday in the shootout marked the 26th win of the season for Swayman, a new career-high. He will surely look to build on that tonight, as well as the rest of the season. The team will desperately need it, as they currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the East and are just two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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