The 2026 Stadium Series will be remembered for many reasons. The Andrei Vasilevskiy against Jeremy Swayman goalie fight stands out, and it’s one of the more iconic outdoor moments in league history. The comeback by the Tampa Bay Lightning also will be as they trailed 5-1 to the Boston Bruins and won 6-5 in a shootout. What won’t at least for most fans is how the Bruins battled the Lightning.
The Lightning are arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference. Yet, the Bruins gave them a fight and ultimately came away with a point, extending their point streak to six games. At some point, the conversation around the Bruins must change. They aren’t an overachieving group that’s poised for a decline. Instead, they are a good team with many factors explaining the bounce back from a disastrous 2024-25.
Goaltending Plays a Role
Jeremy Swayman has been elite in the net. There’s no other way to put it. His 22 wins and 7.1 goals saved above average put him on the USA Olympic team and have elevated the Bruins from a middle-of-the-pack team to playoff caliber. While Joonas Korpisalo has struggled, Swayman has delivered and been the steady presence to allow the Bruins to dominate.
The Bruins are glad they have him. The only hope is that the success this season is sustainable. Some teams have fallen apart lately because they don’t have the same level of goaltending in the net as they did early on in the season. The Philadelphia Flyers got elite play from Dan Vladar while the Washington Capitals were often bailed out by Logan Thompson.
Swayman has given the Bruins a bump, and they’ll hope to ride the wave into the playoffs. He raised their floor from a season ago, and the rest of the roster is raising the ceiling.
Bruins 2024 Offseason Trio Bounced Back
It’s no secret that the contract negotiations weighed on Swayman. He missed most of the 2024 training camp and wasn’t the same when the season began. Now, he looks like his regular self, which is a great goaltender who can shut down opponents.
The big signing for the Bruins that offseason was Elias Lindholm. He was brought in as a top-six center and failed to play the part. While he’s battled injuries this season, he’s been a key part of the offense, with 11 goals and 26 assists.
The other big signing from the 2024 offseason was Nikita Zadorov. After last season, the move looked like a flop as the veteran defenseman looked like he was on the decline and not a fit in the Bruins defense. He’s not only fit in but added a physical presence to the lineup, something the Bruins were looking for since the start of last season.
Bruins Offense is Great Thanks to the Youth Movement
A positive to the overhaul after last season is that it brought in a youth movement. Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov are new faces this season, and they’ve provided a new look to the offense.
Minten looks like a steal as the Bruins landed him in the Brandon Carlo trade and have a 21-year-old skater who is a vital part of the top-six. Between him and Marat Khusnutdinov, the Bruins added 26 goals and 27 assists to the offense. Along with the scoring, the Bruins have forwards who changed the identity, notably Mark Kastelic, who adds more toughness.
The Bruins are also getting a lot from their American Hockey League team, with plenty of players in Providence proving capable of stepping up and filling in on a given night. Matthew Poitras was the latest call-up, and he found the back of the net in the Stadium Series game. He’s just one of the many players who have filled in this season for a game or two and prevented the Bruins from dropping off.
Dive Deeper: With Lindholm Out, Bruins Call-Up Poitras
The collapse in the recent game will have many believing they aren’t a great team. They have their flaws, and the defense, which the Lightning shredded at the end of the game, is a weakness. However, the Bruins proved they are good and can’t be taken lightly in the Eastern Conference.
