3 Stars: Bruins get major bounce-back win from Jeremy Swayman

A 'grind game' is a game that will favor the Bruins against most teams.

And it was exactly what the Bruins needed to (and did) bring to the rink Tuesday night and put the Penguins away by a 2-1 final at TD Garden.

"The longer the game goes, the more frustrated teams will get," Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said of his team putting a team away yet again. "The guys did so much work the first three months, you can kind of see the results of it.” 

The win was also a gigantic one for the Bruins in the East's playoff race. From a Bruins-centric point of view in the race, the Blue Jackets pulled off a comeback win over the Predators while the Canadiens' late-game crumbling against the Sharks allowed Boston to inch closer to the top wild card spot.

Here's a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game...

Even after scoring two goals in 50 seconds, the Bruins really could've busted things open on the Penguins and Stuart Skinner in the first period of this one.

But Skinner kept the Penguins in this one, and really refused to let this one slip out of control for a Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh squad. That was especially true on what was a late-period power-play opportunity for the Bruins in the opening frame, which saw the Bruins hem the Pens in for an extra 1:14 after the penalty had expired before getting a clear. That was essentially a full 3:14 with Skinner having to stand on his head as Pittsburgh's last line of defense.

Skinner ultimately finished with 26 saves on 28 shots faced.

It's been a whirlwind of a year for Bruins forward Casey Mittelstadt.

Sent to a rebuilding Bruins team from a win-now Colorado squad at the trade deadline, Mittelstadt had to play out the string with the Bruins, go through a coaching change, and hear his name in trade rumors all offseason long. Oh, and when the season began, Mittelstadt quickly found himself sent to the press box as a healthy scratch and doing some soul searching.

Since then, though, Mittelstadt has rebounded better than anybody could've expected, and has put together a strong campaign to date on the B's second line. On the board with what was ultimately the game-winning goal in this contest, Mittelstadt is now up to 13 goals and 30 points through 50 games this season, putting him on a 49-point pace over an 82-game season.

In addition to the goal, Mittelstadt also came through with a great late-game kick to clear the puck out of the Boston end with the Pittsburgh net empty.

The return to the Bruins for goaltender Jeremy Swayman from the Olympics was one that seemed to irk some. A late arrival back to town following the Team USA celebration after winning goal (Sturm called Swayman's first practice back a 'wild one' for what it's worth), and ultimately held out of the Boston lineup in their first game back, Swayman's return also left something to be desired. At least from a pure results standpoint, as the Black and Gold netminder allowed two goals on 16 shots thrown his way in a losing effort against the Flyers.

But the perfect way to wash that away? A dominant showing the next time out, which is exactly what the Bruins got out of Swayman on Tuesday night.

Even if it didn't start that way.

Tagged for a goal on the first shot he faced, Swayman rebounded with 34 straight saves in the Boston crease, and was the driving force behind every fire the Bruins were able to put out in their own zone. Per NaturalStatTrick, Swayman finished a perfect 8-for-8 on high-danger shots faced (all situations), and had an expected goals against average of 4.45... and allowed just one goal.

"He’s Sway again," Sturm said when asked about Swayman's performance in the win. "The way he played today was even better than Philly. If you look at him, the way he smiles the way he talks, he’s back to normal.”