But the leadership group does not stop there. “Yeah, no, [Swayman]’s a big part,” Sturm said after Tuesday’s game. “If you have a goalie like that, he doesn’t have to have the ‘C’ or ‘A’ on it.

We know. We know he’s a big part of our team, he’s a big leader.”His veteran leadership led him to signal for a timeout after the Sabres scored their second goal in a 74-second span on Tuesday. Swayman just called that timeout I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.

True sign that a lot of players don’t really trust Sturm. Weird #NHLBruinspic.twitter.com/lpDUhwfDtc— Elliotte Friedegg 🥚 (@FridgeHN1C) April 22, 2026“I think it was a little bit of a momentum shift,” Swayman said. “But I knew we weren’t going to have a TV timeout after the goal, so it was just important to get everyone to take a breath.

We know that we have a standard to play out, and I thought that the momentum did shift a little bit, and a ton of kudos to my group for responding extremely well.”Marco Sturm said that he did not notice Swayman calling the timeout until after the game, but nonetheless, praised him for having the same mindset. “He felt it, I felt it. So, that’s probably a good thing,” Sturm said on Wednesday.

“We just didn’t want that. What happened in Game 1, we didn’t want to happen again, that’s all.”Jeremy Swayman was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2017, and nine years later, he is their starting goaltender. He just finished his sixth regular season in the NHL, and this year marks his fifth postseason appearance.He has played 267 games, regular season and playoffs, all with the Bruins.

“He’s been through it, those ups and downs,” Sturm added of his goaltender. “Of course, he’s been very quiet, but when he speaks, we all listen. And yeah, again, he’s been unbelievable all year long.

So, there’s not really a surprise right now, the way he plays, the way he acts.” After the Bruins’ Game 2 win in Buffalo on Tuesday, Nikita Zadorov said he noticed the calmness and confidence in Swayman’s game. Zadorov on what he sees in Swayman’s performance during the first two games: “His calmness. You know, like, it’s super important to see from the goalies.

His confidence is great.”He added that he is not one to give a lot of compliments to a goalie in fear of jinxing them.… pic.twitter.com/ajfBw9jXDb— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) April 22, 2026“His calmness. You know, like, it’s super important to see from the goalies. His confidence is great.”This came just shortly after Zadorov stepped up for Swayman, clearing Zach Benson out of the crease after he poked his stick at Swayman.

“When somebody slashes my goalie, that’s my job to step in,” Zadorov said. “[If] they want to keep doing it, they’re going to keep getting it. I mean, that’s how it is.”That responsibility falls on the Bruins’ more physical players, like Zadorov, especially after Swayman stepped up and fought Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy at the Stadium Series.

After that game, he said he’s done with fighting.Even if the Bruins wanted to name him a captain, they could not. Rule 6.1 in the NHL Rulebook says that “No goalkeeper shall be permitted to act as Captain or Alternate Captain.” Famously, when Roberto Luongo was playing in Vancouver, he was the team’s captain. He wore the ‘C’ on his goalie mask, and one of the alternate captains handled the in-game duties.That only lasted two seasons, and no team has done it since.

That does not mean Swayman is not a key part of the Bruins’ leadership group; he is. He puts it on display when he speaks in the room, and in a first-round series that can turn quickly, that voice carries weight. FOLLOW @JACKSTUDLEY13 ON 𝕏 | FOLLOW @BOSHockeyNow ON 𝕏