Swayman's 30 Saves Secure Win in B's Preseason Finale

BOSTON –– Jeremy Swayman came back onto the TD Garden ice to salute the fans.

The goaltender had just put up 30 saves in the Boston Bruins’ 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday, and it earned him the No. 1 star of the game.

It was Swayman’s second start of the preseason and the Bruins’ sixth and final exhibition matchup.

“It was nice to see some rubber and get some high-quality chances against,” Swayman said. “Feels good to get training camp under our feet and pace of play is the biggest thing. That’s something we can build on every game, and that is what we did with six games. I think our group is in a good spot to get started here next week.”

Swayman was supported by his teammates, who got out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.

“The first 20 minutes was probably the best I’ve seen from our group,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “That’s more like us.”

Nikita Zadorov put the Bruins on the board with a one-timer from the left side. Fraser Minten set up the goal, driving to the net with the puck before flipping it off his backhand to Zadorov for the 1-0 lead at 5:55. Minten centered the third line between Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont on Saturday, while Zadorov was on the third pair with Henri Jokiharju.

Minten’s slick feed and defensive responsibility throughout his 12:50 of total ice time are part of the reason why Sturm has gained trust for the 21-year-old forward.​

“I like this kid. He played great. He came in ready to go. He played like a man,” Sturm said. “I think it really helps, too, for him playing with a guy like Tanner Jeannot. He takes care of him.”​

With opening night four days away, Minten is trying not to get ahead of himself when it comes to a full-time NHL role despite his positive production.

“Entry-level guy, you can go up and down pretty easily. Just take it day by day still,” Minten said. “I think it was good tonight. It was nice to play with a lineup like we had out there. I had guys on my wings there that were unreal. Good game and happy with the preseason.”

Boston doubled its advantage at 14:39 with a tic-tac-toe play from the second line of Viktor Arvidsson, Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha. Arvidsson pushed the puck over to Mittelstadt behind the net, who found Zacha open in the slot. Zacha’s wrist shot beat Igor Shesterkin and made it 2-0.

​“Second game, we had a couple practices together already. Especially in the offensive zone, I think we won some battles, know where we are,” Zacha said of his line. “It is only going to get better with the games and practice we are going to have.”

The power play – run by assistant coach Steve Spott – has been a point of emphasis throughout training camp for the Bruins. It converted in the second period with the first unit of Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Morgan Geekie and Zacha.

Lindholm stationed himself in the shooting lane and tipped in McAvoy’s point shot for the 3-0 scoreline at 16:48. Pastrnak picked up the secondary assist on the play.

​“It was important. You want to have at least a couple chances or goals in the preseason to feel good about the unit,” Zacha said of the power play. “We had some good practices this training camp, worked on it a lot. I am happy it paid off – that is something that is big in the season, special teams. We have to be better than last year.”

​Noah Laba potted a power-play tally for the Rangers at 16:23 of the third period, but an empty-net shot from Zadorov at 18:31 secured the 4-1 victory and marked his second goal of the night.

The Bruins officially start the 2025-26 regular season on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. The home opener is Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden.