If Jeremy Swayman plays 20 years in the NHL, he may never have an easier shutout than Thursday night's, as he had to face just 15 shots on goal and one high-danger chance in the Bruins' 4-0 win over the Rangers.
It doesn't really matter that he wasn't tested, though. The Swayman good vibes train continues to roll on, with smiles all around after the game.
The rookie netminder improved to 7-2-0 and now has a .946 save percentage and 1.44 goals-against average. As NESN noted after the game, he is just the third Bruins goalie ever to win seven of his first nine starts, joining Frank Brimsek in 1939 and John Adams in 1973.
And Swayman does it all with a fun-loving, positive attitude that teammate Charlie McAvoy called "contagious."
"He's having a blast and he's playing well," McAvoy said Thursday night. "Seeing his attitude, the way he does it and how he carries himself -- he loves to have fun at the rink, and it's awesome. It's contagious. For him to come in and play the way that he has, it's a testament to where he's at in his career, one year removed from college. Just seeing him come in and make the impact he has has been great. And then his attitude is awesome. It's off the charts. He's always smiling, and he talks a lot on the ice, which is helpful for the D men. He's having a heck of a time and he's playing awesome."
Bruce Cassidy has so far only announced his goaltending plan through Saturday, when Tuukka Rask will start. There are two more regular-season games after that. He has not yet committed -- at least publicly -- to Swayman being Rask's backup for the postseason over Jaroslav Halak.
But it certainly seems like Swayman has won that job, and, as he strings together one stellar start after another, it certainly seems like he would be ready to handle postseason action should anything happen to Rask.
