The Bruins desperately needed something to feel good about given the way this week has gone. Jeremy Swayman gave it to them in Saturday afternoon's 2-0 shutout win in Ottawa.
Swayman stopped all 30 shots he faced, including 14 in the third period, to earn his and the Bruins' second shutout of the season, and the first in over two months.
It was Swayman's first NHL win since Jan. 2, and it was a pretty important one. In his first start since being called back up, Swayman struggled on Tuesday, giving up three goals on 24 shots in a 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh. After the game, Bruce Cassidy was about as critical as he's been of Swayman at any point, saying that the big difference in the game was that the Penguins got saves and the Bruins didn't.
Combined with Tuukka Rask's retirement and Linus Ullmark giving up six goals in Thursday's loss to Carolina (not that all or even most of them were his fault), it had turned into a week where it was hard not to wonder about the Bruins' goaltending situation at least a little bit.
Add in Brad Marchand's suspension and injuries to Patrice Bergeron and Matt Grzelcyk, and it really felt like things were unraveling quickly for the Bruins.
Facing the Senators presented a good opportunity to bounce back and generate some positive vibes, but the Bruins needed to go out and make sure they actually took advantage.
They certainly did early on, as they came flying out of the gates and registered 11 shots on goal in the first five minutes of the game and 22 total in the first period. The Trent Frederic-Charlie Coyle-Craig Smith line finished off an excellent opening shift with a rebound goal from Frederic 45 seconds in. The fourth line added another gritty goal later in the period when Curtis Lazar buried a rebound off an Anton Blidh shot.
In the second and third periods, the game evened out and the Bruins couldn't quite match their energy and dominance from the opening 20 minutes. Some good goaltending from Matt Murray and a couple tough breaks (Charlie McAvoy having his stick slashed out of his hands on a grade-A chance and Blidh having a goal called back on a questionable goalie interference call) prevented them from extending the lead.
Swayman would be needed to preserve it, as the Senators managed to tilt the ice at times and turn up the pressure as they attempted mount a comeback. The rookie answered the call and played his best in the third, including making some point-blank saves on Tim Stutzle, Adam Gaudette, Connor Brown and Brady Tkachuk.
"Have a quick memory and move on to the next game," Swayman said when asked about bouncing back from Tuesday. "That's something I've been focusing on, and I've had a lot of great people help me with that. Just talking about it, moving on, taking the positives, and focusing on the next game."
One game might not answer every question about the Bruins' goaltending, and it doesn't mean the Bruins are suddenly OK without Marchand and Bergeron. But it sure provided some needed positivity.
Now Swayman can feel better about his game, the Bruins can feel better about their goaltending in general, and the team can feel better about their ability to compete and win games even with a couple stars missing.
