Goaltender Jeremy Swayman might have to carry the workload with Bruins fighting to make the playoffs
Provided the Bruins remain in the playoff hunt, and Swaywan were to keep up the pace of playing three of every four games, he could reach the 60-game plateau. It's the workload Swayman lobbied for in the offseason, helping him make a case for a eight-year/$66 million contract extension.
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'I think that is fair to say,' said interim coach
Joe Sacco
, asked pregame if he anticipated going with Swayman as frequently over the final one-third of the season. 'We'll look at the schedule — it's somewhat light, and I don't want to predict ahead too much, who's playing and who's not, but the schedule's a little bit lighter when we get back. So there's an opportunity for Sway to play in more of the those games.'
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The last Bruins netminder to pile up such a workload was
Tuukka Rask
, who appeared in 65 games in 2016-17 as he was turning 30. It was the season
Bruce Cassidy
took over as bench boss for the final 27 games after the dismissal of
Claude Julien
.
No Bruins goalie since then, including Rask, has reached the 60-goal ceiling. Rask, who shared the net in 2016-17 with
Anton Khudobin
and
Zane McIntyre
, appeared in 21 of the club's final 27 games in the regular season, a key factor in why they snagged a playoff spot.
Rask, who retired after playing in four games in 2021-22, did not make more than 54 appearances in a season following 2016-17.
Vacation break (for some)
The league officially shuts down Sunday afternoon, following matinees in Washington (Utah vs. Capitals) and Montreal (Lightning vs. Canadiens) with some 80-90 of the game's best to participate the next two weeks in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off.
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Brad Marchand
(Canada), along with Swayman and
Charlie McAvoy
(USA), as well as
Elias Lindholm
(Sweden), will be the Bruins wearing the sweaters of their respective countries.
The rest of the Black and Gold rank and file, who began vacation when the final horn blared at the Garden Saturday night, won't reconvene until Feb. 18 when they resume workouts at the club's Brighton/Warrior practice facility.
'A couple of days of sun,' said a beaming
David Pastrnak
, noting his family will make a brief jaunt south at the start of the break. 'Won't be there the whole time, but … looking forward to some vitamin D.' Pastrnak and Co. will resume regular working hours Feb. 22 when the Anaheim Ducks, coached by ex-Northeastern bench boss
Greg Cronin
, will be at the Garden for a 7:08 puck drop. It will start a 25-game final kick for the Bruins, who face the prospect of their first postseason DNQ since 2016.
Eichel rolling for Vegas
North Chelmsford's
Jack Eichel
entered the matinee as the Golden Knights leading scorer (19-48―67), on target to finish with the club's scoring title for a second time in his four years in the desert. The former BU Terrier opened the season with a four-assist night vs. the Avalanche and has been a consistent producer all season, collecting at least a point in 40 of 54 games …Ullmark, bedeviled by a bad back after getting off to a sizzling start with the Senators, returned to action Tuesday in a 4-3 loss to the Lightning. He gave up three goals on 37 shots following his six-week absence, falling to 12-8-2 (.915 save percentage, 2.41 goals-against) … Pastrnak entered riding a season-high 12-game scoring streak (11-14—25). Prior to puck drop, 'Pasta' was on pace for 41 goals and 98 points … Ex-Bruins forward
Ryan Donato
put up a four-spot (2-2—4) Friday night in Chicago's 6-2 thumping of the hapless Predators. Dealt to acquire
Charlie Coyle
from the Wild, Donato is expected to be on the move again prior to the March 7 trade deadline. He has career numbers of 18-18—36 in 52 games and is headed to unrestricted free agency with an expiring $2 million AAV contract. Likely cost to acquire: a third- or fourth-round pick … The ever-struggling popgun Bruins power play came into the matinee 0 for 6 on the advantage in the prior two games. Leaguewide, they ranked 30th with a 14.6 success rate. Their top three goal scorers on the advantage: Pastrnak (6), followed by Marchand and
Justin Brazeau
(4 each) … Swayman joins
Connor Hellebuyck
(Winnipeg/Commerce, Mich.) and ex-BU goaltender
Jake Oettinger
(Lakeville, Minn.) on the Team USA squad. Entering weekend play, Hellebuyck owned a 34-7-2 mark, making him the Veniza favorite and the most likely the starter for the Yanks …Swayman's shutout Tuesday was his third this season and 15th of his career.
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