The Boston Bruins are second in the league in goals allowed, sitting with 32 through 14 games. The only team better is the Dallas Stars, whose fellow Olympic goalie has started the year strong, and the team has allowed just 30 through 13 games. The skeptic would say, "Yeah, well, if it weren't for Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins would be much worse," but I say he is getting paid to be part of the team like anyone else.
The Bruins shouldn't apologize for having a goaltender who can bail them out of so many defensive mistakes. However, the Bruins are still second in the league while getting dominated at times in the defensive zone this season, and if they can clean that up even just a little, they could become the stingiest team in the league.
While it's good to be positive, the Bruins also haven't been able to clean that up over the past two seasons. Marco Sturm's system isn't failing, but it tends to bleed high-danger scoring chances. Swayman has been near the top of the league in goals saved above expected since Sturm's tenure began with this new-look group, because of the chances they give up.
Bruins' defensive metrics aren't as great as the goals-against suggests
The Bruins are around the middle of the pack in high-danger shots allowed, according to MoneyPuck, but they rank in the top half of the league in medium- and low-danger shots allowed. Sturm’s team may not be allowing high-danger shots at a high clip, but ranking in the top half in medium and low is a bit surprising for a team that ranks second in the league in goals against.
For one, it should prove why Swayman deserves to be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, but it also raises the point that a few tweaks in the defensive zone could greatly help this team. If they can limit the chances coming their way, it's safe to assume their goals-against per game would drop even further and, before long, be even lower than the Stars'.
The Bruins are currently eighth in the league in goals for, which puts them second in goal differential. The offense has been there so far, but it has regressed over the past two games, both losses. If the Bruins want to stay near the top of the league, their defense may need to improve, which feels a bit hyperbolic given their goals-against standing but is accurate nonetheless.
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