The Boston Bruins were not going to let history repeat itself Saturday afternoon and they were not going to be denied a playoff berth.
When the Bruins played the Pittsburgh Penguins at the TD Garden on Feb. 8, it was the first game all season long where the Black and Gold built a two-goal lead and lost the game. Two first-period goals from David Pastrnak gave the Bruins to the lead, but four straight goals from Pittsburgh dealt Boston a frustrating loss that ended with Brad Marchand punching Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry in the head and waving his stick in his face, resulting in a six-game suspension.
Saturday, the Bruins once again jumped out to a 2-0 lead, this time just 2:01 into the game against the Penguins, but they were able to pick up one of their most important wins of the 2021-22 season by allowing just one goal in a 2-1 victory. The win clinches the Bruins’ sixth consecutive Eastern Conference playoff spot. Here are three takeaways from a victory that snapped the Black and Gold’s first three-game losing streak of the season and their 46th win of the season.
Swayman Has Bounce-Back Performance
In Thursday night’s 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators, goalie Linus Ullmark left after the first period after taking a shot in the mask, which forced Jeremy Swayman into the game cold beginning the second period. The former University of Maine standout allowed all three Ottawa goals in the middle period, but with Ullmark still sidelined, Swayman had a bounce-back performance that was needed not only by the 23-year-old, but also by his teammates.
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Swayman stopped 23 of the 24 Pittsburgh shots, including nine in the third period for his 21st win of the season. His best save came in the second period when Kris Letang lofted the puck behind the Bruins’ defense to Jake Guentzel who was stopped by Swayman when he tried to beat him between the legs. In the third period, he made a save on a shot from the point…
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