The Boston Bruins shut out the Minnesota Wild thanks to exceptional goaltending from Jeremy Swayman on Tuesday evening at TD Garden.
Following a 22-save display in the Bruins’ victory against the New York Rangers, Swayman then achieved a shutout with 35 saves. This marked Swayman’s third shutout of the season and the team’s sixth in 55 matches.
“It’s truly significant.” “It’s significant for our team and the upcoming two-week break,” Swayman informed reporters about the consecutive victories, according to audio given by the team. “And just before this break, finish it decisively, and I believe we’re effectively generating momentum.”
The Bruins are engaged in a fight for a playoff position, and with 27 games left in the regular season, each point is vital.
“Our rivals have introduced quite the challenge,” Swayman stated. “Everyone is vying for points, and it’s our responsibility to step up and ensure that we’re securing crucial points as we approach the finish.”
Swayman delivered crucial saves against the Wild, particularly in the third period when the Bruins faced three consecutive penalties while leading by two goals.
“It’s just doing your job properly,” Swayman replied when questioned about witnessing the opposing team’s frustrations after securing a save. “You aim to undermine the opposing team, ensuring they realize it will be difficult to score against you.”
During the initial phase, Swayman and Marc-Andre Fleury exchanged saves equally. Swayman denied the first seven shots from Minnesota, while Fleury recorded 14 saves in the opening 20 minutes.
“I believed Fleury performed excellently at the other end as well,” Swayman remarked. “He’s having a great time doing it.” “Competing with him was truly enjoyable.”
Although Swayman stayed flawless throughout the evening, Fleury allowed two goals from Charlie McAvoy and Trent Frederic in the second period, before saving the subsequent 18 shots from the Bruins. Boston maintained the advantage, and Swayman blocked all 14 Minnesota attempts in the third period to clinch the victory.
David Pastrnak lengthened his point streak to 11 matches. He provided the main assist for McAvoy’s seventh goal of the year. The Bruins’ high-scoring forward has netted 10 goals and provided 14 assists for a total of 24 points during that period.
He joined Brad Marchand, Marc Savard, and Adam Oates as the fourth Bruins player in the last 30 years to achieve an 11-game assist streak. Pastrnak is second only to Jaromir Jagr (16 games) for the longest streak by a Czechia-born player, according to NHL Public Relations.
Matthew Poitras increased his point streak to two games. He recorded two assists in the game, matching the two helpers he had against the Rangers for a total of four points across two games.
— McAvoy netted two goals in consecutive games for only the second time this season, and the first since scoring in each of the Bruins’ opening two matches against the Florida Panthers and Canadiens. He currently has seven goals and 15 assists in 48 games this season.
— The Bruins have a pair of games remaining before the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament starts on Feb. 12. Boston heads to the Big Apple to face the Rangers on Wednesday night.
The puck will be dropped at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET and will broadcast on TNT. The Bruins will host the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 22 in their next NESN game following the two-week break.
