Swayman Matches Korpisalo with Shutout as Bruins Stay Hot; Canucks Spiraling, Devils Open for Business
The Bruins’ goaltending tandem is starting to look like a two-man wall. Just two days after Joonas Korpisalo posted Boston’s first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh, Jeremy Swayman answered back with a gem of his own-stopping all 24 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
Swayman, ever the team-first guy, was quick to deflect the praise after the game.
“Korpi got it done [last game]. He’s just the best,” Swayman said.
“We got the monkey off our back, and I’ve got to keep up with him. That’s awesome that we have that high competitiveness.
And again, shutouts aren’t done without the boys in front of us, so huge credit goes to them for getting the job done tonight.”
The Bruins got scoring support from Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten, and Mark Kastelic-three names that continue to step up in different ways for a Boston team that’s now won six of its last seven. The only blemish in that stretch?
A wild 7-4 loss in Seattle to the Kraken just nine days ago. And guess who’s coming to town Thursday night?
Yep-the Kraken again.
Whether it’s Swayman or Korpisalo between the pipes, the Bruins will be looking to even the score and keep their hot streak rolling.
DeBrusk Voices Frustration as Canucks Skid Hits Eight
Things are going from bad to worse in Vancouver. The Canucks dropped their eighth straight game on Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators, and the frustration is clearly starting to boil over-especially for Jake DeBrusk.
The former Bruins first-round pick didn’t mince words after the game.
“I mean, we're losing, we’re the last-place team in the league,” DeBrusk said. “We’ve lost (eight) in a row; there's going to be some talk. I think that just becomes the business side of it.”
When asked if the team had addressed the losing streak internally, DeBrusk’s answer was telling.
“Am I thinking about it? No, I'm thinking about what we need to do to win a game.
You only control so much, right? So no, I'm not thinking about it.
It's hard not to when you just look at the standings, (but) I'm learning through this. Obviously, it doesn't affect me the best.
It doesn't affect anyone the best. We all want to get out of this together.”
DeBrusk admitted he’s never experienced a slide like this in his career.
“I’ve never lost this many games in a row in my life. You feel it.”
The Canucks are now firmly in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft, and if the slide continues, the front office may have no choice but to start making moves ahead of the trade deadline.
Devils Listening to Offers as Season Falls Short of Expectations
The New Jersey Devils came into the season with playoff aspirations, but like many teams in the Eastern Conference, they’ve found themselves stuck in the logjam that is the wild-card race. And now, it sounds like the front office is ready to shake things up.
One name reportedly drawing interest: Dougie Hamilton.
General Manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed that conversations are happening.
"His agent and I have been in constant communication, so there's no secrets," Fitzgerald said. "There's no lost in translation, whatever it is. Just want to make sure everybody's hearing the same message."
The Devils aren’t out of the race by any means, but with expectations unmet and the standings tightening, they’re clearly open to retooling on the fly. Whether that means moving a big name like Hamilton or reshuffling around the edges remains to be seen-but New Jersey is definitely a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches.
As the season hits its mid-January stride, teams are starting to show their true colors. The Bruins are surging, the Canucks are searching, and the Devils are listening. And with the trade deadline looming, the NHL rumor mill is just getting warmed up.