Jeremy Swayman is playing his best hockey of the season
For Jeremy Swayman, the 2022-2023 season has been full of ups and downs. While he has struggled at times, the former fourth-round pick is rounding into form with the playoffs quickly approaching. Earlier this week, the Anchorage native received special recognition for his stellar play. After two straight losses, the Bruins needed Swayman to bounce back, which he has done in a big way.
In his last two starts, the 24-year-old has faced 62 shots and not allowed a goal. He is the first Bruins goalie to post back-to-back shutouts in consecutive starts since Tuukka Rask in Apr. 2013. He now has eight shutouts since the start of the 2021 season. All other Bruins goalies have seven in that span.
As Swayman has taken his game to another level, he was named the NHL Third Star of the Week on Monday. While Jim Montgomery has split playtime between Swayman and Linus Ullmark, Swayman has been hard to keep off the ice. Since the start of the new year, he has posted a .937 save percentage and 1.81 goals-against average. In that span, the University of Maine product has provided a reminder of how good he is.
Although Ullmark has had a career year, Swayman’s numbers are also impressive. In 30 games, he has posted a 2.20 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. If the season were to end today, he would rank in the top five in the league in those categories. His four shutouts would be tied for second.
With the regular season winding down, a few more starts for the 2017 draftee are on the horizon. The Bruins will want to keep Ullmark fresh for the playoffs and build on Swayman's recent success. However, how much ice time the former 111th-overall pick gets in the playoffs is still to be determined.
Regardless of how Montgomery divides playing time, Swayman is not making the decision easy. For the Bruins having two of the four best statistical goaltenders in the NHL in the crease every night is a spot they are more than happy to be in.
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His dad operated on my foot - was my podiatrist for many years…always got updates on Jeremy’s progress.