BOSTON — Columbus, down 4-2, had pulled Daniil Tarasov for a sixth attacker. The Blue Jackets floated in a soft rim that gave Jeremy Swayman enough time to settle the puck and process his surroundings.
So when Swayman pulled the puck off the wall in Saturday’s third period, loaded up his Warrior stick and snapped it downstream, everything was set up just right for the goalie to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead. Even Swayman’s initial trajectory looked good.
But as he leaned to the right to urge the puck his way, Swayman’s 175-foot shot skidded just wide of the left post.
“It was going in! Ohh,” Swayman said with a smile after the Bruins’ 4-2 win. “I was leaning with it, too. I was like, ‘It’s going… no.’ “
It was the closest the 24-year-old had come to sending a rink-length puck into the net.
“Tried a lot of times. Haven’t made it past the red yet,” Swayman said. “That was cool. Yeah.”
A goal would have been an exclamation point on a critical step forward for Swayman. This has not been the season the third-year pro expected to have. Swayman backed up Linus Ullmark in the season opener. He missed more than two weeks in November because of a knee injury. After a 14-save, last-minute loss to the Coyotes on Dec. 9, Swayman sat for the next three games.
Ullmark took over the net, including against the Islanders on Tuesday less than 48 hours after starting against the Golden Knights three time zones away. Meanwhile, under guidance from goalie coach Bob Essensa, Swayman tried to reconstruct the technique and swagger that had originally put him on an ace’s development curve.
“Everything,” Swayman said of what he worked on to prepare for only his ninth start. “Skating, obviously. Getting to my position. Working on hands, rebound control, box, crease containment, all the above. Tipped pucks, reading tips. It’s what we do every week. If you have a good game, you work hard and you get better. If you have a bad game, you work hard and get better. That’s something I’ve been doing this year. It’s been ups and downs. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the ups and downs I’ve had and the learning lessons I’ve had early on.”
That he submitted a 31-stop win against the Blue Jackets, to say nothing of nearly scoring, was a strong step in the right direction for the clear-cut backup.
“I thought he was our best player, and I think he needed to be,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “Very confident. Very confident in his movements. I don’t know the position to be able to tell him (save selection) and all that stuff. That’s Goalie Bob’s job. But mentally, when a goalie’s on top, he’s taking whistles at the right moments. Tries to go for that empty-net goal. That’s a sign of someone that the game is going slow. Which is what you want mentally.”
Swayman allowed two goals: a close-range Boone Jenner backhand and a Patrik Laine one-timer. Both were on the power play. He was perfect at five-on-five (13 saves).
None of this has been easy for Swayman, whether it’s been difficulty stopping pucks or not being part of an every-other-game routine. As for the latter, it’s been just as much about Ullmark’s brilliance (15.7 goals saved above average, per MoneyPuck) as Swayman’s below-average performance (minus-1.5 GSAA).
“It’s different,” said Swayman. “I’ve been used to getting in a rotation. Again, I’m grateful for the adversity coming my way early on. Just learning from it and knowing how to battle through games, battle through tough times and not getting to start for a couple days. That’s just something I want to make sure I’m staying in the moment with, keeping that good attitude mentally and physically. And just keep working no matter what. Good game, bad game — doesn’t matter. I want to have that same steady, consistent attitude.”
Swayman took the start to break in his brown Winter Classic pads, glove and blocker. He liked how all his gear felt.
Whether he gets the start at Fenway Park remains to be seen. Given his current level of play, Ullmark gives the Bruins the best chance to win, indoors or out. For now, it will be Swayman’s job to continue rebuilding his game and pushing Ullmark.
“(Wayne) Gretzky’s gone 10 games without scoring,” Montgomery said. “I believe one time (Sidney) Crosby went 20 games without scoring. Everybody has those moments in their career where things aren’t going well. That’s what makes you better. He’s going to come out of that little, small hiccup he had there and he’s going to be better for it. Because everyone needs adversity, whether it’s in life or in sports, especially.”
Swayman had some consolation after his near miss. Later in the third, David Pastrnak had an empty-net chance in the offensive zone. Pastrnak missed.
“He was telling me that, yeah,” Swayman said with a laugh. “I want to score so bad, man. It’ll happen.”
(Photo: Steve Babineau / NHLI via Getty Images)
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