Jeremy Swayman
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman of Anchorage is in a contract year – his three-year, entry-level NHL deal expires at season’s end – and lately he’s putting up money results.
Swayman on Thursday stopped 31 shots in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden to run his streak of games unbeaten in regulation to eight (6-0-2).
Coming off a 6-0 win over Philadelphia on Monday for his sixth career shutout, and a 7-1 win over Anaheim prior to that, Swayman did not surrender a goal Thursday until Rangers defenseman Ben Harpur scored with less than five minutes to go. That snapped Swayman’s shutout streak at 149 minutes, 42 seconds, the equivalent of two and a half games.
Swayman also played for just a bit Sunday in Boston’s 4-0 win over visiting San Jose. Bruins starter Linus Ullmark had to leave the game briefly in the third period with a skate-blade issue. Swayman popped into the crease for 2:28 and stopped the only shot he faced before Ullmark got new steel and returned to the crease.
During Swayman’s eight-start heater (plus Sunday’s brief appearance) he has posted a 1.72 goals-against average and .941 save percentage. That has improved his season marks to 11-3-3, 2.26 and .916.
Pheonix Copley
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Kings goalie Pheonix Copley, who has buoyed his club since his promotion from the American Hockey League two months ago, hit a rough patch this week. He gave up four goals on 17 shots in a 4-0 loss Thursday to visiting Dallas before getting the hook less than halfway through the game. Things got worse Saturday in Nashville, where he surrendered two goals on three shots and was pulled just 39 seconds into LA’s eventual 5-3 loss.
Given that Copley’s replacement in Nashville, two-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Quick, played basically the entire game, Copley got Sunday’s start in Chicago for the road back-to-back.
He stopped his slide by stopping 18 shots in a 2-1 LA victory in which the Kings clamped down hard on the tanking-for-Connor Bedard hosts. Copley didn’t face a shot until more than 15 minutes had been played and the Kings led 1-0. By the time the Kings owned a 2-0 lead more than 26 minutes into the game, Copley had faced just five shots.
Copley is 13-3-0. But his season goals-against average (2.79) and save percentage (.896) took hits last week.
In the American Hockey League this week, second-year forward Cam Hausinger of Anchorage made his debut on the circuit one step below the NHL. Hausinger, who was summoned from ECHL Wheeling by the Milwaukee Admirals more than two weeks ago, played in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Springfield. He fired one shot on goal.
Hunter Fejes
In the ECHL, two rungs below the NHL, winger Hunter of Anchorage continued his sweet comeback from cancer. Fejes on Thursday furnished the Orlando Solar Bears a goal and an assist and pushed his point streak to four games (2-5—7) in a 5-3 win over Greenville. He continued to contribute Friday with one goal, one assist and a game-high six shots on goal in a 6-3 loss to Greenville. Fejes owned a five-game point streak (3-6—9) and had racked three straight multiple-point games before being kept off the scoresheet in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Florida. He’s 6-9—15 in 15 games.
Kenny Hausinger, Cam’s older brother, had an assist for Wichita in a 3-1 win over Allen on Friday and an assist, and a plus-3 rating Saturday in a 7-1 win over Kansas City. That raised his season totals to 3-12–15 in 34 games.
Alec Butcher of Anchorage is heating up for the Reading Royals. He scored for the second straight game Friday to help Reading to a 5-3 win over Norfolk, then made it three straight games with a goal Saturday in a 5-1 win at Norfolk, where he also added an assist and a plus-3 performance. He owns 7-7—14 totals and a plus-9 rating in the last 15 games to push his season totals to 9-10–19 and plus-10 in 36 games.
Nolan Walker
Also scoring Friday was Newfoundland Growlers forward Nolan Walker of Anchorage. He struck in a 3-2 win at Worcester. Sunday, he generated one goal and one assist in a 6-4 win at Adirondack to improve his season totals to 10-8—18 in 36 games.
Goalie Isaiah Saville of Anchorage and the Savannah Ghost Pirates endured rough rides Friday and Saturday. Saville gave up six goals on 25 shots before he was pulled early in the third period of a 9-4 loss at Florida. He stopped 37 of 43 shots Saturday in a 6-2 loss at Florida. All that drove his winless streak to 14 games (0-11-3), even though he has posted a save percentage of .923 or higher in six of those games. Savannah is just 2-15-3 over its last 20 games and sits 26th overall on the 28-team circuit.
Isaiah Saville
Saville is just 4-14-5 – the most losses in the league — with a 3.29 goals-against average, yet his save percentage (.916) ranks eighth in the league. Savannah surrenders a league-worst average of 38.55 shots per game, 2.09 shots more than the next most fired upon club.
Meanwhile, a couple of Anchorage forwards continue to deliver in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Cayden Cahill of the Peoria Rivermen furnished one goal, two assists and a plus-2 rating Friday in a 5-0 road win over the Quad City Storm. He’s 1-4—5 and plus-3 on his three-game point streak and owns 8-10—18 totals and a plus-8 rating in 28 games this season.
Drake Glover, the former UAA skater from Anchorage, had two assists and a plus-2 rating for the Fayetteville Marksmen in Friday’s 4-3 loss at Huntsville. He’s 15-8—23 and plus-6 in 28 games.