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Jeremy Swayman is giving the Bruins exactly what they need |
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In the middle of a stretch where the Bruins are struggling to string together consistent efforts from game to game, there’s been a certain goalie that has consistently been good for them.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 of 29 shots in another excellent effort by the rookie in Monday's victory over the Colorado Avalanche. In his last four starts Swayman is 3-0-1 with a .968 save percentage.
“I think it’s all thanks to the experience I’ve had this year. It’s obviously a lot of experiences going up and down and different things not going your way sometimes,” said Swayman.
“I’ve definitely learned to adapt and make sure I’m staying in the moment, making sure the next day is a new day, taking the positives from the day before and forgetting about it, good or bad days and making sure I’m doing everything I can to capture the day at hand and make the most of the opportunity.”
After their lackluster loss to the Islanders on Thursday, the Bruins followed it up with a much better effort in Ottawa against the Senators on Saturday.
But their win on Monday against the Avalanche was undoubtedly impressive, one that hopefully jumpstarts a more consistent stretch for the Bruins as they begin a six-game road trip in Seattle on Thursday.
While beating the National Hockey League’s top team is an important win for the Bruins, it was also a special one for Swayman, one close to his heart.
During the 2015-16 season Swayman played for the Pikes Peak Miners U-18 team in Colorado.
“I had a year in Colorado my U-18 year, it’s been a dream to play against the Av’s one day and definitely beat them, so that was a fun thing to do,” he said.
As good as Swayman was between the pipes, the effort in front of him was equally as good.
“They’ve been great the last 10, 15 games, I’ve been super happy with them in front of me, especially today it’s been good,” Swayman said. “It’s been an upward trend of good communication, boxing out, doing their job and I have all the trust in the world in them.”
In year’s past, the Bruins have used long road trips like this to turn their season around, hopefully, this is one that does similar.
Swayman likely will get the bulk of the starts on the trip, his play of late has earned him that spot. While neither Swayman or Linus Ullmark has done enough to run away with the Bruins No. 1 goalie honors, Swayman is trending that way.
“Any time me or Linus go in net, we want what’s best for the team and we want to win,” said Swayman. “I love being in net and being able to get points for this team, it’s a good day and we’re happy with the win.”