By the looks of it, Jeremy Swayman was having the time of his life Monday during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers.
Less than 48 hours after backstopping the Bruins to a thrilling Game 7 overtime win at home to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs, Swayman was between the pipes down in Sunrise, Florida. And the 25-year-old goalie from Alaska carried over his outstanding play from Round 1 when he made an NHL postseason career-high 38 saves in a 5-1 Bruins win against the Panthers.
Not only was Swayman stopping everything in sight, but he was having a helluva time doing so.
In fact, after a wild scramble in his crease in the third period, Swayman not only emerged with the puck, which he flipped to the circle after the whistle blew. But the Bruins goalie was laughing, apparently unconcerned with the mass chaos in his blue paint.
ESPN play-by-play man Bob Wischusen appropriately called the scene a “mosh pit.”
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Jeremy Swayman makes 38 saves as Bruins win Game 1 of their series against Panthers
Swayman has plenty of reason to smile these days. After splitting goaltending duties with Linus Ullmark during the regular season, Swayman has taken the mantle as Boston’s No. 1 goalie in the postseason. He started Game 1 against the Maple Leafs, a 5-1 Bruins win (sound familiar?!), but Ullmark started a Game 2 loss.
Since then, it’s been all Swayman, who started the final five games against the Maple Leafs and Game 1 against the Panthers. He’s delivered in the feature role, tied with New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for most wins in the playoffs (five).
Swayman is second among all goalies with a 1.42 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. Joseph Woll of Toronto made two starts and leads the postseason with a 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage. Nonetheless, Swayman has allowed two goals in three starts and one goal in four starts.
“He was out best player in the [first-round] series, it’s not close,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said.
Added Bruins center Charlie Coyle, “He is unbelievable.”
So he was again Monday, especially in the last two periods when he stopped 29 of 30 shots, including all 16 in the third period when Boston put the game away. Not a bad follow up to his 30-save gem with everything on the line in the nail-biting Game 7 win against the Maple Leafs.
Though the Bruins rode the Swayman-Ullmark tandem to the Jennings Trophy last season for fewest goals allowed in the NHL, they might just stick with Swayman to win a much more important trophy this spring.
Without the burden of having the most successful regular season in NHL history this time around, the Bruins are playing better postseason hockey and have the looks of a tough out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.