Jeremy Swayman was the Bruins' best player, which is a critical development
MONTREAL — Jeremy Swayman was not happy about losing to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. The Boston Bruins goalie was not alone.
The Bruins are 0-9-1 in their last 10 games. Losing 4-1 to the Canadiens was yet another kick to the head. They are worse than the Buffalo Sabres, of all clubs. There is no end to losing in sight.
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The tank is for real.
'You're always worried about results,' said Swayman. 'That's the name of the game right now. We haven't gotten them and we have to get them.'
But Swayman and the Bruins have to understand that individual and team performance do not necessarily have to align before 2024-25 ends. Swayman, in other words, has to get his game right regardless of how things are cracking around him.
On Thursday, his game was in a good place.
'I felt good,' said Swayman (28 saves). 'I was just thriving off the guys in front of me. D-men did a good job of boxing out and making sure I saw the shots. Forwards were pushing out, taking away the lanes from the D-men coming out.'
This has been the worst season of Swayman's career. He has an .892 save percentage. His previous low was .914.
You name it and it's gone sideways for Swayman: reads, puck touches, rebound control, tracking, depth, getting square to shooters. When the Bruins have needed Swayman to stand tall, the $66 million goalie has played smaller than he is.
So as the Bruins stagger toward the end, one of their priorities is to straighten Swayman out for years to come. The 26-year-old is too good and too important for 2024-25 to be the start of a southbound bend. In previous seasons, Swayman has proven he has the stuff, from his hockey sense to his technical precision to his swagger, to steal points his team has no business recording.
It was no coincidence, then, that Swayman made his third straight start on Thursday. A fourth may be coming on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. As much as the Bruins would like to correct their tumble, no wins will save their season. Getting Swayman back on track is a far more important requirement.
The Canadiens put three pucks past Swayman and capped it off with an empty-netter. Swayman had no chance on all three. Two of the three came in a second period when the Bruins were outshot 17-2. It was yet another display of an NHL club beating up on a team with AHL all over the roster.
'Turning way too many pucks over,' said Elias Lindholm. 'We're down two, luckily. Sway kept us in it and obviously gave a chance going into the third. A lot of things went wrong.'
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In one way, playing behind a roster optimized for a lottery pick is a good opportunity for a goalie to stand his ground. Swayman did so. In the first period, when Cole Caufield scooted off for a two-on-one rush, Swayman coolly punched out the winger's close-range bid with his blocker.
In the second period, Swayman kicked out Mike Matheson's slap shot. He hit the deck. Alexandre Carrier should have scored on the rebound, but Swayman stretched out and gloved Carrier's shot. It showed Swayman's athleticism and determination.
'Little bit of desperation. Wished it was prettier than that,' Swayman said. 'I want to do my job of making sure I can do whatever I can to keep the puck out of the net. Just a lucky save. It's what we like to see.'
This was always going to be a year of transition for Swayman. It was the first time he started a season as the go-to No. 1 goalie following Linus Ullmark's departure. He had no preseason action because he was unsigned. Swayman and the Bruins promptly discovered their roster was nowhere near the quality of previous versions.
None of this has been an excuse for Swayman's performance. Given the importance of his role and the contract he signed, Swayman has simply not been good enough. He has no choice but to make the necessary corrections to give his employer a better chance of chasing wins in 2025-26.
Thursday's start, then, may be a foothold for Swayman as he rebuilds what has broken.
'I'm sure he wants to go finish the year feeling good about himself,' said interim coach Joe Sacco. 'I just think it comes from his preparation and his work.'
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