Jeremy Swayman continues to grow as he makes a strong case to be Bruins' No. 1 goalie

BOSTON -- It's been quite a stretch for Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman. He was named to his first All-Star team on Saturday, and on Monday, he stopped everything that the New Jersey Devils sent his way for his third shutout of the season.

As he did Saturday after receiving his All-Star recognition, Swayman credited his teammates after blanking the Devils.

"Shutouts are a team shutout, every night," Swayman said after his 31-save performance at TD Garden. "Tonight was obviously a great example of that. Guys filling lanes, blocking shots, making my life easy so I can see every puck. I had clear rebounds, so I think it's definitely a team accolade."

That is who Jeremy Swayman is. He's always passing the praise onto others, and that doesn't seem like it will ever change.

What has changed is the 25-year-old's overall play, which continues to improve with each start in net. Monday was Swayman's third straight start as Linus Ullmark sits out with a lower-body injury, something he hadn't done in almost two years. He started back-to-back games in November, but hadn't started three straight since the first round of the 2022 NHL playoffs. 

Swayman showed zero signs of fatigue as he rejected shot after shot from New Jersey. He now owns all three of Boston's shutout this season, which is tied for the fourth-most in the NHL. He also ranks fourth in the league with a .922 save percentage and sixth with a 2.38 goals-against average, to go along with his 13-3-7 record on the year. 

After Monday's win, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery credited Swayman for improving in just about every area. He said his goalie looks more comfortable in the crease, and his game management is night and day from last season. There is no more indecision when to take a faceoff or when to move the puck up the ice. 

Swayman noted these changes in his game as well following Monday's shutout.

"It's kind of weird watching film from last year at times. It's like, 'Who is that guy?' I've gotten to talk with [goaltending coach] Bob [Essensa] a ton, and obviously Linus and I have talked a ton about when to take whistles or how to play pucks, making our defense's job easier," Swayman said. "And I think it's been really awesome to see the experience kind of show for itself. I know that I feel more confident and I'm letting the puck come to me and stuff. 

"You can't buy experience at Target," Swayman added. "So, we gotta go through it, and that's really special, what we're doing."

Swayman has learned plenty through experience over the last four seasons. And he did some learning over the off-season, too, as was the case when he and the Bruins went through a slightly messy arbitration process over the summer. Swayman alluded to that on Saturday -- unprovoked -- when he said that he "heard things a player should never hear."

He expounded on those comments Monday, and again, said that he's grown through that experience.

"I'm grateful for what happened. I think I learned a lot about the business side of things," said Swayman, who added that he won't dwell on what happened this summer. 

"It's already happened. What's happened has happened," he said. "I'm living in the present moment. And again, it just goes back to the experience. I wouldn't be the human being I am, I wouldn't be the player I am if I didn't go through it, if I didn't have the years in college and I didn't have the years in junior and the years in the NHL. So, I'm grateful for everything that's come my way and I'm excited for what's to come."

Swayman has made it clear -- both with his words and his play -- that he wants to be Boston's No. 1 guy in net. He loves the relationship that he's built with Ullmark, but Swayman is competitive and he wants to be between the pipes every night.

He's making a great case to be the top guy since Ullmark went down, as he continues his growth in net. But as comfortable as he looks on the ice, Swayman said he will never actually feel comfortable. That is part of his process as an NHL goalie.

"You talk to any veteran goalie or mentor that has been through a professional career, you never get comfortable.  That's when you start getting humbled. My mindset is soaking everything up like a sponge," he said. "I know there is a ton of room for growth. So I'm excited for that and I'm going to keep working."