The Boston Bruins are without starting goalie Linus Ullmark at the moment. The last year’s Vezina Trophy winner suffered an injury earlier this month in a game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Jeremy Swayman has stepped up in his absence and earned a shutout on Monday afternoon’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
Swayman was the star of the game, making 31 saves at TD Garden for his third shutout of the season in the 3-0 victory for the Bruins. Swayman is more than just a backup goalie in Boston.
Since Ullmark arrived in Boston, where he signed as a free agent from the Sabres in 2021, he and Swayman have formed a special bond, and they’re close friends off the ice. They’ve also gone viral with their extremely wholesome celebration routine, as they give each other a huge hug on the ice after every win.
After Swayman’s impressive performance on Monday, he talked wholesomely about his goalie colleague Linus Ullmark, calling him a ”Swedish Viking”‚ with some words that will make every Bruins fan’s day.
”I’m going to compete and give the team a chance to win every night,” Swayman said. ”No doubt in my mind Linus is going to be back in no time. He’s a Swedish viking. We all know that he’s a stud, so he’s going to be back and I can’t wait to have him back.”
Bruins’ head coach, Jim Montogomery, is more than pleased with how Swayman is playing while Ullmark is recovering from his injury.
“It’s nice to be able to see him have this opportunity,” Montgomery said after the win over the Devils. “If Linus wasn’t injured, we wouldn’t have seen it. But his makeup is someone that wants the net every night. Linus has that, too. The swagger that he brings, it feels like he never gets tired.”
