Boston Bruins Swayman Gives Kudos To ‘Incredible Mentor’ Rask

It wouldn’t be surprising if rookie Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was simply excited for his own accomplishments after earning his second shutout of the season in a 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon.

It gave Swayman his first win since getting called back up to Boston following Tuukka Rask’s shutdown and eventual retirement and snapped a two-game losing streak for the Boston Bruins at a time of year when a prolonged downward spiral could be troublesome.

And, of course, there were postgame hugs with Linus Ullmark.

Jeremy Swayman looking stellar.

Shutout #2 of the year, 4th of his young career. I love this guy already.#NHLBruins #Swayman pic.twitter.com/l6BGn5SbHO

— Full Right Goalie (@FullRightNation) February 12, 2022

Instead of dwelling on his own good deeds while stopping all 30 Senators shots he faced, however, the 22-year-old Swayman was giving a shout out to the retired Rask as an ideal mentor.

“First and foremost, Tuukka’s been a great mentor to me. He had an incredible career, so I give tons of kudos to him,” said Swayman, who is absolutely going to need to up his game against the NHL’s stronger teams where he’s posted a 1-6-1 record this season. “It was incredible to be (in a tandem) with him and obviously all the accolades he’s compiled over the years is pretty incredible. Hall of Fame-bound, for sure. And what an incredible mentor.

“I can’t have enough good things to say about him. That’s all I’m focused on, giving him the kudos. He wants what’s best for the team, so do I and so does everyone in that locker room. Whatever I can do to perform at my best and give the team the best chance to win is what I’m going to do.”

Swayman improved to 9-7-2 with a 2.22 goals against average and .919 save percentage after the Ottawa shutout and continues to do give the Boston Bruins an excellent chance to win every time he’s manning the pipes.