Jeremy Swayman leads way in funk-snapping win over Jets

No one knows the exact formula to get rid of the malaise that comes with a two-game losing streak and losses of three of four in mid-March.

But a goal on your first shot of the game, scored just 50 seconds into puck drop, is never a bad start. It was actually all the Bruins needed Thursday night in Winnipeg, too, as Trent Frederic’s game-opening tally held as the game-winning goal in a 3-0 final over the Jets at Canada Life Centre.

• In what felt like a ‘get right’ game for the Bruins at both ends of the rink, the Bruins made sure their early edge could not be matched with a response goal or two, and pushed their lead out to two behind Pavel Zacha’s absolute rip through the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck at the 13:22 mark of the opening frame.

  The strike from Zacha, which was his second in as many games and his fifth in the last nine games, set a new single-season career-high in goals for Zacha, with 18.

• Super cleannnn, that number 18 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TnVEBQC9ed

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 17, 2023

• But the early edge would’ve been meaningless without some strong goaltending from the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, who made 13 saves in the opening period, and with some help along the wall from his defensemen in front of him and the posts behind him.

  Swayman’s strong effort was a constant throughout this contest, too, as Swayman turned aside all 36 shots he faced while watching his Bruins outshot in all three periods of play.

• Sway and Mac keeping it out. pic.twitter.com/h6xKPcZHTn

  — Mr. Tenkrat (@PeterTenkrat) March 17, 2023

• The shutout was Swayman’s third of the season, and his eighth since jumping to the NHL in 2021.

  That’s tops among all Bruins netminders over that span. In fact, Swayman officially has more shutouts than every other Bruins netminder to make an appearance over that two-year stretch, as Linus Ullmark, Tuukka Rask, and Jaroslav Halak have combined for seven since the start of the 2021 season.

• 

  Mar 16, 2023; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) is congratulated by forward Tyler Betuzzi (59) on his win against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. (Terrence Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

• The only downer for the Bruins in this game came with the departure of Derek Forbort after two periods of play after Forbort was hobbled by a blocked shot with just under two minutes to play in the second period.

  Boston’s penalty-killing specialist, the 6-foot-3 Forbort was in a walking boot after the game, according to the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery also admitted that he doesn’t anticipate Forbort playing either Saturday against Minnesota or Sunday against Buffalo.

  Connor Clifton and Jakub Zboril are the B’s next defensemen up.

  The B’s get back to work Saturday afternoon with a showdown against a Wild team currently riding a 14-game point streak by way of an 11-0-3 record.