A tale as old as time. The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs entered a new chapter of playing a decisive Game 7. And much like the previous three series, the Bruins took that decisive game and got the luxury of advancing to the second round. This game came with enormous amounts of pressure for both teams.
The Bruins avoided making history, and not in a good way. They could’ve been the first team to blow a 3-1 series lead across all the major sports. Instead, they avoided a total collapse like last season and sent the Bruins faithful home happy. Now that the series is wrapped up, here are three reasons why the Bruins ultimately emerged victorious.
Jeremy Swayman
If anyone is to be relieved, it is Jeremy Swayman. He is the goalie who was in net for the last two Game 7 defeats (2021-22 against Carolina and 2022-23 against Florida). This was the perfect opportunity to rewrite the script and change the narrative. Swayman did just that and helped deliver a victory in the decisive game. Nobody knows what the dollar sign will look like on his next contract, but Swayman is going to get a hefty raise. He single-handedly kept the Bruins in Game 7 and was the team’s best player for the entire series.
Defensively both teams were brilliant in front of their respective netminders, as they limited anything of high quality towards the goal. The Bruins allowed seven high-danger shots on goal and the Maple Leafs five. At the end of the day, Swayman was the difference in this series and not just this game.
When you look at the other bench, that is an offense that can do damage and has no shortage of weapons. After all, they did have Auston Matthews, who scored 69 goals during the regular season. Furthermore, the Maple Leafs scored 298 goals during the regular season. They ran into a brick wall that was Swayman, as he never allowed more than two goals in every game he started.
Over the six games he started in the seven-game series, Swayman stopped 172 of 181 shots he faced, good for a .950 save percentage. In addition, he finished the playoff round with 7.58 goals saved above expected, showing how dialed in he was and smothering the Maple Leafs offense.
Swayman dominated against the Maple Leafs during the regular season and carried that same momentum into the series. He wasn’t alone, though, as the team got the most important goal from the most important player.
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