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The Boston Bruins came up with a massive win away from home over the Florida Panthers. Now, they host the Panthers in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Boston has to win out to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. But coach Jim Montgomery feels confident in their chances with goalie Jeremy Swayman in the crease.
Swayman came up big for the Bruins in Game 6. He made 28 saves on 29 shots to keep Florida's offense at bay. And the 25-year-old has played well throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has performed to a .933 save percentage to this point in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Montgomery highlighted the team's faith in Swayman with comments made on Wednesday. “There’s a confidence and an air about [Swayman] that he’s invincible, which makes us really confident that we’re in a good place,” the Bruins head coach said, via NHL.com. “Like the pulled-goalie situation [in Game 5 against Florida], I was behind the bench. I’m like, ‘They’re not scoring; we have Swayman in nets.’”
Jeremy Swayman has reached another level
Swayman has spent the last two seasons splitting time with veteran Linus Ullmark. Last year, this was understandable. The 25-year-old played well, but Ullmark was otherworldly. He recorded a .938 save percentage in 49 games as the Bruins won an NHL-record 65 games. This year, though, it's a slightly different story.
Ullmark played well, but not to the standard set in 2022-23. This allowed Swayman to get a few more games under his belt, and he stayed consistent. He recorded a .916 save percentage in a career-high 44 games in 2023-24. But the Anchorage native has taken his game up a step in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Swayman has started in 11 of the team's 12 playoff games. As mentioned, he has recorded a .933 save percentage this postseason. Looking a bit deeper, the Bruins puck-stopper is one of the team's best players right now. The 25-year-old has 9.63 goals saved above average and 11.16 goals saved above expected in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Swayman did struggle at times against the Panthers. But his performance in Game 5 certainly gives the team hope for their chances in Game 6. And it gives Boston hope that whatever issues their netminder had earlier in the series have been worked out.
Bruins reveling in extra rest
Jeremy Swayman has played a lot of games, so he may be thanking NHL schedule makers at this time. Boston and Florida have an extra day of rest between Games 5 and 6. This is due to the teams traveling from Sunrise, Florida to Boston for the next contest in this series.
Head coach Jim Montgomery isn't too concerned about Swayman's usage. But he did acknowledge that the extra rest is certainly ideal for both teams. “You like it at this [point],” Montgomery said Wednesday, via NHL.com. “This is when in the series you feel like it’s beneficial for everybody.”
The Bruins have a chance to pull off what the Panthers did to them a year ago. Last season, Boston took a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the Panthers came all the way back and won in seven games. Florida went on to make the Stanley Cup Final, but in a losing effort.
Montgomery is not concerned with that at this time, though. There is a lot of work to do before now and any advancement to the Eastern Conference Finals. Part of that work happens on Friday night at TD Garden. “[We’re] loose,” the Bruins head coach said, via NHL.com. “We’re just thinking about getting rest before Game 6.”
