Boston Bruins News: Mounting injuries, soaring prospects, Jeremy Swayman

The Boston Bruins closed the month of November with a 3-2 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings at the TD Garden on Saturday night. At 15-12-0, the Black and Gold are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race as we enter the third month of the season.

Are the Bruins a playoff team when the dust settles in April? Who knows, but they have certainly exceeded expectations so far. They are battling through some injuries currently with David Pastrnak, Viktor Arvidsson, and Charlie McAvoy. There is no timetable for any of them returning, but Boston did send prospect Georgii Merkulov to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) on Sunday. Could that mean either Pastrnak or Arvidsson is close to coming back?

They are going to need all hands on deck as December is going to be busy, beginning on Tuesday in Detroit against the Red Wings. After that, former Boston coach Jim Montgomery and the St. Louis Blues make their only appearance at the TD Garden on Thursday night. The New Jersey Devils will visit on Saturday night to close out the week.

Jeremy Swayman soothing with confidence

A big part of the season to date, and why the Bruins were able to edge the Red Wings in the shootout the other night was the play of goalie Jeremy Swayman. He stopped 24 shots and then made all three saves in the shootout to secure the extra point. Swayman had a great November and topped it off with a great performance. How does he stay focused?

“Just one shot at a time, brother,” Swayman said. “I’m just excited to be a part of it. I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this team, playing in this league. That gratitude really overwhelms me. I like to play with that gratitude, and that happiness.”

He has to be as good as he's been because Joonas Korpisalo has struggled this season, especially early in games. There was a reason why Marco Sturm had been riding him lately.

Providence Bruins tie franchise record

The P-Bruins completed a weekend sweep of the Belleville Senators with a 6-4 win on Sunday on the road. The win tied a franchise record for an 8-0-0 start to the season away from Rhode Island. Providence had six different players find the back of the net. Jake Schmaltz (three assists), Riley Duran, Fabian Lysell, Victor Soderstrom, Matthew Poitras, and Frederic Brunet all scored.