TAMPA, Fla. — Jeremy Swayman was the star of the night, delivering an impeccable performance with 26 saves to propel the Boston Bruins to a commanding 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Cole Koepke made waves by scoring twice against his old team, while teammates Mark Kastelic and Nikita Zadorov netted goals as well, securing Boston’s second win in their last 10 games. Swayman earned his fourth shutout of the season, marking the 16th of his career in the NHL.
Tampa Bay’s goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy managed to stop 21 shots during the game. The turning point came when Boston seized the lead, as Casey Mittelstadt intercepted a pass from Nick Perbix in the neutral zone and connected with Koepke. Koepke, in a surge toward the net, attempted to sneak a puck through Vasilevskiy’s pads. The puck was deflected by Oliver Bjorkstrand, inadvertently sending it into the net at the 10:32 mark of the second period.
Insights from the game show that for the Bruins, Swayman’s last victory had been over Minnesota on February 4. Before this night’s match, he faced a slump with an 0-4-2 record in his six starts. Boston had struggled on the road, entering with a dismal 2-10-1 record since the year’s end. Meanwhile, newcomer Mittelstadt, recently acquired from Colorado, debuted with an assist.
For the Lightning, a key absence was defenseman Victor Hedman, who participated in pregame warmups but remained out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury, and his status is considered day-to-day. The loss ended Tampa Bay’s impressive seven-game winning streak at home.
A pivotal moment during the game occurred when Brandon Hagel almost broke through for a tying goal, having an opportunity from right in front of the crease. However, Swayman thwarted the attempt skillfully at 4:20 of the third period, preserving Boston’s lead.
A striking statistic from the night was that Tampa Bay faced a shutout for the second time in a cluster of 16 games. This comes after avoiding shutouts for an impressive stretch of 113 games between November 2023 and January 2025.
Looking ahead, the Bruins are set to face Florida on home ice this Tuesday, while the Lightning will travel to take on Carolina.
