Trailing 3-2 entering the third period with two vital points on the line, things were looking bleak for the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens. Not only had the Bruins not won a game this season when trailing in the third period, but they were facing a four-point swing in the standings.
Down, but never out under first-year coach Marco Sturm, the Black and Gold rallied with two goals 15 seconds apart for a huge 4-3 win. It was their first win when trailing in the third period, but it also created a little separation in the standings in the wild-card race. Jeremy Swayman held the Canadiens at bay over the final 5:50 after his team got the lead for the victory. After the game, the former University of Maine standout didn't beat around the bush about how big a win this was for Boston.
Jermey Swayman has perfect quote after Bruins win over Canadiens
Swayman made 22 saves in the game, including some big ones in the first period with his team trailing 1-0 on the first of three Cole Caufield goals. There were times when it felt like his teammates left him out on an island all by himself. However, he kept his team in the game and gave them a chance; that's all you can do. Then the character took over, according to Swayman.
“It’s an excellent character win. The way we came back and had life in the third when it mattered is really important for our group,” said Swayman. “We knew that it was an important win. We weren’t going to let these 20 minutes slip. Obviously, we gave it our all and it shifted in our favor.”
The phrase 'character win' is not one that has been linked to the Black and Gold in the last year and a half too many times. There have been very few of those. Normally, trailing going into the third period would end up being bad news. Until Saturday night. When they needed to flip the two points in the standings, they did. They also gave Montreal a taste of their own medicine with a third-period onslaught as they did to Boston just a month ago. If the Bruins can get more 'character wins' the rest of the season, maybe, just maybe, they could be playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs come late April.