Jeremy Swayman confidently walked down the aisle between the assembled media, walked up to the podium, sat down, and greeted the media with a smile before answering question after question about his night.

“I think it’s going to be a really fun year,” Swayman said.

His night was a relatively uneventful 27-save performance, helping the Bruins skate to a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in their season opener Saturday night.

With TD Garden finally back to the building’s true full capacity, it was the biggest crowd Swayman has played in front of, a sold-out figure of 17,850.

On top of that, Swayman understood how special it was to start the opener for the Bruins after Tuukka Rask did the same for the previous nine seasons.

“Going into it, I wanted to treat it like another game, no bigger or smaller than ones I’ve played before,” said Swayman.

“After, I do realize the magnitude of it. It’s pretty special and something I’ll never forget. I’m so appreciative of the fans, the team in front of me and it was a great game.”

Swayman did not have to make his first save until 7:17 into the opening frame, a 22-foot wrister from Roope Hintz. Dallas registered five shots in total in the first and nine in the second before a 14-shot third period where Swayman was forced to make some of the more difficult saves of his evening.

“The first period was fun to be a part of; fun to watch,” said Swayman. “I’m the last line of defense, I just want to do my job, making sure I’m battling just as hard as those guys are in front of me. I was happy with the outcome and the win.”

Swayman did exactly what the Bruins needed him to do. He stopped the shots he should have and limited the Stars second chances with smart rebound control.

The one puck that did manage to get by him was a result of a defensive breakdown in front of him, leaving Luke Glendening all alone in front of Swayman.

“Every goal that goes in—I typically scan it and forget about it. I looked at the angle and it’s just one of those things that when it goes in, you know what you did wrong right away, but you want to focus on the next shot, and I just want to focus on that,” said Swayman.

“It helped a lot having a quick memory, making sure I was focused on the next shot and helping the team win.”

Swayman is very calm on the ice. Not too often is he out of position, usually square to the puck, putting himself in a good position to make a save. He has a calm confidence to his game on the ice. Off it, any time he’s been presented in front of the media, he does so with a huge smile on his face.

"I love that kid. He's such a good person in the room and off the ice,” said Brad Marchand. “He fits in great, he's so genuine and he's been very calm from the first day he's been here.”

Swayman is going to be a key piece to the Bruins success this season. The 22-year-old was excellent in 10 games last year, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. He’s out to prove last year was no fluke.

If Swayman truly thinks it’s going to be a fun year, he is one of many on the roster that can control that fun. Swayman got a taste of how much fun TD Garden can be in the playoffs and saw again how fun it can be in the regular season.

For as long as he can, he’s going to enjoy himself and have fun playing hockey. The Bruins, well, they’ll enjoy it even more if they continue to get nights like Saturday from their rookie goaltender.

“Not many places like that [TD Garden] in the league,” said Swayman. “I’m so fortunate and I know our whole team is appreciative of the fan base and community here. What you hear about is true and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

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