Swayman Steals the Night as Bruins Punish Utah’s Misses
Pastrnak leads a ruthless finish while Utah clanks iron and can’t beat the Boston goalie in a wild swing at TD Garden.
Utah had the better looks all night and still left with a 6-1 thud. The Mammoth carried the play and fired nearly double the shot attempts, but Boston turned a handful of chances into goals while Jeremy Swayman shut the door.
On the chances ledger, Utah’s opportunities added up to more danger — the Mammoth held the edge in expected goals, 4.29 to 1.91 — but Swayman erased it. He stopped 36 of 37, posting a goals saved above expected of +3.29 (how many he prevented versus what the chances usually produce). That, more than any schematic story, is the game.
Boston’s finishers did the rest. David Pastrnak drove the attack with two goals and two helpers, Morgan Geekie and Matthew Poitras chipped in as quick-strike catalysts, and the Bruins went 3-for-4 on the power play.
Utah wasn’t just busy; they were snakebit. They hit iron five times — Barrett Hayton, Dylan Guenther, Michael Carcone, and Mikhail Sergachev among them — while Poitras nicked one for Boston. The takeaway: Utah’s attack is dangerous, but finishing and goaltending volatility bit them; Boston rode elite goaltending and timely touch.
