Jeremy Swayman followed up his contract holdout last season with an abysmal season, which led Boston Bruins fans and haters around the league to wonder if the long-term contract extension was a mistake. Swayman told everyone who would listen that this year was going to be different, but his form early in the season looked familiar to last season. And just when everyone was about to accept that the contract was a mistake, Swayman set out to change everyone's opinion.
Swayman won his fifth consecutive start on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. The goaltender thrives in those kinds of moments, and playing the old rival with first place on the line was one of those times. He helped the Bruins kill all seven of their undisciplined penalties, and he looked like the team's rock while doing it.
Swayman has posted .923 sv pct. in his five consecutive wins.
— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) November 17, 2025
It hasn't been easy for Swayman to have success, but he hasn't had any issues. The Bruins are the most penalized team in the league, but the goaltender continues to come up big in those situations. While the Bruins are trying to make it easy on their goaltenders with Marco Sturm's defensive structure, Swayman is saving the defense according to the advanced metrics from JFresh.
Best and Worst Goalies by Goals Saved Above Expected - November 16 pic.twitter.com/GRGyHZyTs6
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 16, 2025
Swayman's numbers are coming back around after the slow start, with his goals-against average dropping below three, and his save percentage is going above .900. When you look at Swayman dominating the goaltender ranks recently with both the raw numbers and advanced metrics, it's no trouble to tell how this Bruins team has risen to first in the Atlantic Division.
Jeremy Swayman is proving the haters wrong with his recent form
If this is the real Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins will be just fine paying him $8.25 million over the next seven years. Even though the first year of the deal was a bust, the team in front of him also didn't do him any favors.
That’s why you give Swayman $8.25M through 2030.
— Rear Admiral (@RearAdBsBlog) November 16, 2025
If this Bruins team is for real, Swayman isn't done with his redemption tour. It'd be crucial for the Bruins not to give him too many nights where he has to kill seven penalties and two 5-on-3s, but at least fans are starting to regain the trust they had in him when he proved to the front office that he was the guy during the 2024 playoffs.
It's starting to look like the Bruins will undergo a quicker retooling than expected, and Swayman is a significant reason why.