Jeremy Swayman's Hot Streak Has Rookie Sitting Among NHL's Best Goaltenders

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Jeremy Swayman posted a shutout in Los Angeles on Monday night, a 7-0 win for Boston. It was merely the latest installment of a red hot streak that has the rookie netminder sitting among the league leaders in some significant statistical categories.

Swayman's 34-save shutout on Monday was his third shutout of the season, and his second since Feb. 12. It was that day -- a 2-0 win at Ottawa -- that began this current stretch for Swayman, who is 5-0-1 with a .971 save percentages and a 0.82 goals-against average in his last six starts. Among goalies with at least three games played during that same time, Swayman has the best save percentage and GAA, with Vezina favorite Igor Shesterkin (.962, 1.17) ranking second in both categories.

While it's been the best stretch of the season for Swayman, it's come after a perfectly solid opening three months of the season. As a result, Swayman finds himself sitting atop the entire NHL in GAA, while ranking fourth in the league in save percentage.

With the obvious caveat that Swayman's started fewer games than some fellow league leaders, his 1.952 GAA on the season is percentage points better than Shesterkin's 1.954 GAA. And with a .929 save percentage on the season, Swayman trails only Shesterkin (.941), Ville Husso (.935), and Frederik Andersen (.930).

GAA Leaders
1. Jeremy Swayman, 1.95
2. Igor Shesterkin, 1.95
3. Ville Husso, 2.03
4. Frederik Andersen, 2.03
5. Jacob Markstrom, 2.13

Save Percentage Leaders
1. Igor Shesterkin, .941
2. Ville Husso, .935
3. Frederik Andersen, .930
4. Jeremy Swayman, .929
5. Jacob Markstrom, .925

And while Swayman might never have a season with eight shutouts, like Jacob Markstrom currently has for Calgary, the rookie's three shutouts have him tied for sixth-most in the NHL. Considering he's tied for 30th in starts with just 23, that's a rather impressive spot to be.

Obviously, that low number of starts means that Swayman won't be factoring in to the Vezina conversation. But this run is evidence that the 10-game run he went on last year in his first taste of NHL action was no fluke. That's something the Bruins weren't so sure of during the summer -- at least, that's a conclusion that can be reached based on their actions.

After Swayman stepped up in emergency duty last year by going 7-3-0 with a .945 save percentage, a 1.50 GAA, and a couple of shutouts, the Bruins jumped to sign free agent Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million deal with a no-movement clause on the first day of NHL free agency. With Tuukka Rask expected to return midseason, the Bruins were setting things up for Swayman to be the odd man out in Boston when that day came.

As we now know, that day came ... and went, as Rask's body was unable to recover from the offseason hip surgery. So after a brief demotion to the AHL (where he posted some uninspiring numbers), Swayman returned to the NHL. And after shaking off some rust in his first start back, he's been lights-out ever since.

That is, of course, the good news. The not-quite-as-good news is that Ullmark has been a league average goaltender for Boston, with a .909 save percentage and a 2.76 GAA. (The league average is .909 and 2.84.) With a full no-movement clause through the 2022-23 season, and a modified no-movement clause in the two years after that, along with a $5 million annual salary, that could present an issue at some point if the younger, cheaper Swayman continues to show that he can be a legitimate No. 1 goalie for the Bruins.

That, though, is an issue for another day. For now, it seems apparent that the Bruins have got themselves a very good young goaltender in Jeremy Swayman. With five shutouts in 33 career starts, with a 1.82 GA and a .934 save percentage, he looks more than capable of elevating his role in the coming months.

In:
• NHL