Sway Is the Engine: Why Swayman Is the Real Reason for 7-2-1
Every October, we spend a lot of time talking about the shiny stuff. The new guys, the kids, the power play, the line combinations. And sure, this Bruins team has given us plenty of all of that. Fraser Minten is scoring. James Hagens is turning heads. The captain is cooking. But if you want to know the real reason this team sits at 7-2-1 and on top of the Atlantic, it's the guy at the back. Jeremy Swayman is the engine of this whole thing, and it's time we said it out loud.
Look at the numbers through his first eight starts: a 6-1-1 record, a .928 save percentage, a 1.98 goals-against average and a shutout on opening night. Those aren't "good for October" numbers. Those are the numbers of a goalie who is playing as well as anyone in the league right now.
He wins the games you're supposed to lose
Here's the thing that jumps out when you go back and look at this season. The Bruins have been outshot in a lot of their wins. In San Jose, they were outshot 38-26 and won by three, because Sway made 35 saves. Against Utah, they were outshot 37-22 and still won 6-1, because Sway stopped 36 of 37 while his team spent half the night killing penalties. On opening night, the game was scoreless for 56 minutes, and he never gave the Rangers an inch.
That's what elite goaltending does. It turns coin-flip nights into wins. It lets your skaters take a bad shift without paying for it. It keeps you in games long enough for your skill players to make the difference. Every team in the league has nights when it doesn't have its legs. The good ones have a goalie who covers for it.
He makes the kids look good
There's another side to this that doesn't get talked about enough. The Bruins are leaning on a lot of young players this year. Minten, Hagens, Matthew Poitras and Frederic Brunet are all learning on the fly, and young players make mistakes. They try the risky pass. They lose a battle along the wall. They get caught a step too deep.
When your goalie is as calm as Swayman has been, those mistakes don't turn into goals nearly as often. That gives the coaching staff the freedom to keep rolling the kids out there, and it gives the kids the confidence to keep making plays. You can draw a straight line from Sway's steadiness to how quickly this young group has found its feet.
The calm is the point
If you've watched him closely this year, you've noticed how quiet his game looks. He's not scrambling around his crease. He's not flopping. He's square, he's patient and he's swallowing rebounds instead of kicking them into the slot. The best goalies make hard saves look boring, and Sway has been very, very boring in the best possible way.
That calm spreads, too. When the team in front of him knows he's going to make the first save and control the second one, it plays with more confidence. The defense can step up. The forwards can push. It all starts in the crease.
Don't overwork him
If there's one worry, it's workload. Swayman has started eight of the first ten games, and with a long season ahead, the Bruins have to be smart. Michael DiPietro has been solid in his two starts, with a .912 save percentage, and he gave the team a chance in Minnesota on a tough back-to-back. Leaning on him a little more in the right spots would keep Sway fresh for the stretch that really matters.
The goal isn't to win the Vezina in October. The goal is to have the best version of Jeremy Swayman in net in April and May. Managing his minutes now is how you get there.
Give him his flowers
This team is fun. The kids are exciting, the power play has woken up and the top of the lineup is producing. But the reason all of that has turned into wins is the guy wearing number 1. Sway has been the most important Bruin through the first ten games, and if he keeps this up, this team is going to be a problem all season long.
So the next time the Bruins steal one on the road while getting outshot, remember who made it happen. 🐻