Tuukka Rask closed the door on one excellent period of Boston Bruins goaltending when he announced his retirement on Feb. 9, and another one might already be underway.
Bruins rookie netminder Jeremy Swayman has played fantastic since Rask's retirement, posting a 3-0-1 record, a 0.96 goals against average and a .968 save percentage over his last four starts.
His most recent appearance came in Monday afternoon's impressive 5-1 win over the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche -- a victory that David Pastrnak called Boston's "best game of this year."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Swayman made 28 saves on 29 shots, giving up just one goal on an Avalanche power play in one of his better performances of the 2021-22 season.
Swayman now has a 11-7-3 record with a 2.09 GAA. His .925 overall save percentage is fifth-best in the league and his .842 high-danger save percentage is the ninth-best in the league among goalies with 1,000-plus minutes played, per Natural Stat Trick.
Boston Bruins
What's behind Swayman's excellent play of late?
“I think it’s all thanks to the experience I’ve had this year,” Swayman said after beating the Avalanche. “It’s a lot of experiences, going up and down, and different things not going your way sometimes. I’ve definitely learned to adapt and make sure that I’m staying in the moment, and making sure the next day is a new day, taking the positives from the day before and forgetting about it, good or bad days. Making sure I’m doing whatever I can to capture the day at hand and make the most of the opportunity.”
If the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs started tomorrow, the best decision would be starting Swayman over Linus Ullmark.
The 23-year-old goalie has settled in after an up-and-down first half of the season, and then being sent down to the AHL's Providence Bruins when Rask re-signed with the team. Now that Rask is out of the picture, Swayman has settled into his role and could be in the midst of taking the No. 1 job.
Best win of the season? Bruins make a statement with blowout of Avalanche
Just look at his recent starts. The Bruins gave him the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Avalanche -- three really good teams that will be in the playoffs -- over the last two weeks. The Bruins are trusting Swayman to play well against high-quality opponents, and for the most part he's delivering.
The Bruins' future, quite frankly, isn't very bright. The prospect pool is among the weakest in the league and outside of Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, the team doesn't have many young players with star talent or potential.
Swayman can change Boston's future outlook if he becomes one of the top-tier goaltenders in the league. So far, he's trending in the right direction.