The Boston Bruins picked up a 3-1 road win over the New York Islanders, entering Thanksgiving on a high note.
Boston ended its four-game road trip going 2-2, but on Wednesday, the Bruins played well, despite goalie Jeremy Swayman needing to make a career-high 44 saves in the win.
Yet, after the game, Swayman said he was “blown away” by Boston’s performance against the Islanders.
“Just one shot at a time. I was just blown away by the effort that I had in front of me all night,” Swayman said on Wednesday, as seen on NESN’s postgame show. “It was a motivator, for sure, just doing whatever I could to stop the puck. Really proud of this group today.”
It was also a key win for the Bruins to keep pace in the Atlantic Division and remain in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving.
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Bruins head coach, Marco Sturm, meanwhile, was also pleased with the team’s defensive effort on Wednesday.
“It was a defensive game,” Sturm said. “We protected the middle of the ice in our zone. I think that’s something where they’re really good at. If you look at the guy, like (Bo) Horvat, he’s probably one of the best in the League.
“You got Barzal flying around, you got (Anders) Lee at the net front. So, they have a lot of in-the-slot guys, I would say, and they’re not shy to go there.”
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With the win, Boston is 14-11-0 and in third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins will return to the ice on Friday at home against the New York Rangers.