Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman. Photo courtesy of Boston Bruins
Who would start in goal for the Boston Bruins – Jeremy Swayman of Anchorage or reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark — in Saturday night’s Game 1 of an NHL series opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs remained a mystery until shortly before the biscuit bounced in Boston.
The masked men alternated starts during the regular season. While Swayman was sharper than Ullmark in the first half of the season, that equation flipped in the second half. Then again, Swayman in the regular season went 3-0-0 against Toronto and permitted just four goals in that span.
Swayman got the nod – and he delivered.
The 25-year-old from Anchorage snuffed 35 shots, the most he’s ever stopped in a Stanley Cup playoff game, to backstop the Bruins to a 5-1 victory.
That made Swayman 4-0-0 against Toronto this season. He checks in with a 1.22 goals-against average and .962 save percentage against the Maple Leafs in 2023-24.
The victory was the fourth playoff win of Swayman’s NHL career. He’s the only Alaska goalie to earn a playoff win. Granted, only three guys from the 49th state have tended goal in the world’s best league – Swayman, the retired Ty Conklin of Anchorage and Pheonix Copley of North Pole, whose season with the Los Angeles Kings was cut short by a knee injury that required surgery.
Swayman in the regular season went 25-10-8 to earn the most single-season wins in his NHL career. He finished eighth in the league in goals-against average (2.53), fifth in save percentage (.916) and tied for 11th in shutouts (3).
Now, who starts Game 2 in Boston on Monday night?
“Hard to go away from Sway,’’ said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, according to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.
In the ECHL, center Nolan Walker of Anchorage and the regular-season champion Kansas City Mavericks own a 3-0 lead over forward Alec Butcher and the Tulsa Oilers in a best-of-7, opening-round series that continues Monday in Tulsa.
The Mavericks have basically won three one-goal games over the Oilers, who are coached by former Alaska Aces bench boss Rob Murray. They won Wednesday’s Game 1 4-2 at home courtesy of an empty-net goal, won Thursday’s Game 2 3-2 at home and won Friday’s Game 3, 3-1 in Tulsa, again with an empty-net goal. (Also, three playoff games in three nights, in two cities – not awesome. That’s usually a case of rink availability).
Walker owns 1-2—3 totals in three games and Butcher has one goal.
In the Southern Professional Hockey League, winger Cayden Cahill of Anchorage and the Peoria Rivermen are headed to the President’s Cup Finals, where they will face the Huntsville Havoc in a best-of-3 series. The Rivermen beat Evansville 5-2 on Friday night to sweep the best-of-3 semifinal series after sweeping Pensacola in two games in the first round.
Cahill owns 1-1—2 totals in four playoff games. The President’s Cup Finals open Thursday in Huntsville, with Game 2 Saturday in Peoria and Game 3, if necessary, Sunday in Peoria.
Finally, in the USHL, the country’s top junior circuit, left wing Mac Swanson of Anchorage and the regular-season champion Fargo Force opened the playoffs Friday with a 3-1 win over Tri-City in the best-of-5 series. Swanson, who led the league in assists in the regular season with 51 helpers in 55 games, furnished the primary assist on both of Michael La Starza’s power-play strikes.