Bruins Notes: Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak Shine As Boston Snaps Skid
Jeremy Swayman stopped 39 of 40 shots and recorded his 100th career win, David Pastrnak had a hat trick and two assists and the Boston Bruins finally snapped their 10-game losing skid with a 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at TD Garden.
“So good. I feel a big weight was released from all of our shoulders,” Swayman told reporters after the win. “It’s a gratifying feeling to through it and to finally get out of it and feel good about our game.
“It’s good to see the Garden hopping again. That’s a feeling that we’ve missed, and that’s a big thing. So, we’re not going to let that happen again.”
Swayman, who had lost his previous seven starts, played better between the pipes in Boston’s last three games against the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, and Montreal Canadiens, but the team couldn’t get the desired results.
“I think the keys are staying positive,” Swayma said of getting out of the slump. “We cannot dwell on the past, and we have to stay in the moment. We have the heart of that. All we can control is what we control, and staying in the moment is the biggest thing.
“It’s hard to do as a player. We care so much. Wins and losses, but that’s our job as professionals to stay in the moment, come to practice every single day, give our best effort, translate those habits, tendencies right to the ice on game day. And we finally did that, and it’s so good to see it through. That’s going to be an experience that each one of us is going to build on. And we’re never going to let this happen again.”
The Bruins didn’t play a “mistake-free” game, but they played from whistle to whistle throughout all 60 minutes.
“I thought the effort was there all game from start to finish,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters after the game. “I mean, we didn’t play a mistake-free game, don’t get me wrong, but the effort was there.
“Our goaltender, Swayman, bailed us out a number of times tonight, and we needed that. There was no question, Sway was outstanding tonight. He gave us the chance to win, but the effort was there. I didn’t question that at all, and that’s what we ask for from our guys right now.”
Despite not having the season many expected Swayman to have in net for Boston, Sacco never lost faith in the Bruins’ No. 1 goalie.
“He’s played well the last few games,” Sacco said. “I find that the last few games, he’s really starting to get into a rhythm. He’s been battling. I’ve said this about him before: his preparation never wavers. He’s always working hard. It’s never from a lack of effort or lack of preparation, and it was just a matter of time (for him to get his 100th win).”
Here are more notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Hurricanes game:
— Pastrnak’s three goals earned him his fourth straight 40-goal season and fifth overall. He joins Phil Esposito and Rick Middleton as the third Bruin to achieve the feat in franchise history.
“He’s had some incredible seasons, and to still be able to produce at the rate that he has this year with everything going on, it says a lot about him, not only as a player, but as a person as well, too,” Sacco said. “He’s one of those guys, the great players, they just want to keep going and going. That’s what he’s been able to do. Obviously, tonight was a big night. He, along wth a couple of other guys, really took charge of that game there.
— All five Bruins’ goals came from the top line of Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm. Geekie is two tallies away from reaching the 30 mark for the first time in his career. Lindholm’s goal was the 15th of the season, matching his total from the 2023-24 campaign with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
The trio scored all their goals while five-on-five with the Hurricanes’ top defensive pairing of Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin on the ice.
— The Bruins have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a Montreal Canadiens victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. It is the first time in eight seasons that Boston has failed to earn a postseason berth.
They have been one of the NHL’s best teams for nearly two decades. The 2024-25 season will be Boston’s third time missing the playoffs since 2007. The other two were back-to-back 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
— Boston gets right back to work when they travel to Buffalo for its final meeting with the Sabres on Sunday night. The Bruins, looking to build on their win over the Hurricanes, are 1-1-1 this season against the Sabres. Puck drop from KeyBank Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will air on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.