Jeremy Swayman, Bruins Excite NHL Fans in Game 1 Win vs. Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
April 21, 2024
The Boston Bruins needed to reverse momentum in Round 1 after a slump to end the season. Off the backs of Jake DeBrusk and Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins did just that.
Boston took a 4-0 lead after two periods and held strong, taking a 4-1 victory in order to take a 1-0 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Bruins looked like a team that could be ripe for the taking at the end of the regular season. Boston lost the final two games of the season, which caused it to drop from the Atlantic Division lead and find a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The result of this is a series that was set to be emotionally charged from the start. Toronto has not defeated Boston in a playoff series since 1959, and notably has lost to Boston three times in the first round since 2012-13.
This resulted in 100 hits combined in the game, including a whopping 48 in the opening period.
All of those series went to seven games, but a win in the opening game would have been huge for Toronto as it could have allowed it to capitalize on a slumping rival. In the first few minutes, the Maple Leafs looked keen on doing that.
Toronto fired the first four shots on net, but Bruins rookie John Beecher rifled the first shot past Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov to take the lead.
DeBrusk would get an assist on a Brandon Carlo goal and then scored two of his own in the second period to give Boston the huge lead.
Toronto would get one back in the third period, but a Trent Frederic empty-netter sealed the deal.
While the offensive output was notable, Swayman's play in the net was a huge reason why the Bruins were able to take this win. The 25-year-old made 35 saves, which was good for a .972 save percentage and a well-deserved hug from batterymate Linus Ullmark.
Fans took to social media to praise Swayman and the Bruins and project a successful series for Boston:
Alex Wauthy @AlexWauthyMaple Leafs last 3 games against the Bruins: <br><br>March 4: 4-1 L<br>March 7: 4-1 L<br>April 20: 5-1 L<br><br>Swayman has a .969 SV% over those 3 contests.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLBruins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLBruins</a> <br> <a href="https://t.co/JlugwzMEu0">pic.twitter.com/JlugwzMEu0</a>
Swayman's performance was masterful, but he may get a break before his next performance.
The Bruins entered the postseason with the strategy of continuing the goalie rotation from the regular season. That would likely signal Ullmark being in the net for Game 2. However, Swayman's dominance against the Leafs in 2023-24, combined with his stellar Game 1 performance, should make that decision a bit more challenging.
Regardless of who is in net, the Bruins will look to take a 2-0 lead Monday when it hosts Toronto at 7 P.M. ET.