Bruce Cassidy Bluntly Assesses Jeremy Swayman’s Tough Start For Bruins

Jeremy Swayman turned in his first uncharacteristic performance for the Bruins on Wednesday night.

The rookie goalie gave up five goals on 24 shots in Boston’s 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. It’s the first time Swayman really hit any struggles between the pipes, given his success in 10 games last season and impressing throughout training camp enough to win the No. 1 goalie spot over Linus Ullmark through the first two games of this season.

Fans were bound to see Swayman struggle at some point. After all, he’s only human. But his uneven performance Wednesday garnered some harsh criticism from Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy.

“He’s not going to be perfect every night and clearly he wasn’t tonight,” Cassidy told reporters after the game. “Not his best (game.) We needed some saves there when we broke down. That’s it. Just didn’t give us (saves) when we needed them.”

Swayman never has been one to get rattled after a loss or giving up a goal. His poise is part of what made him stand out last season, and he’s carrying the same attitude this year after a tough outing.

“I’m obviously accountable for what happened,” Swayman told reporters. “I thought the team played great — a great comeback in the second. But I just want to do my job better and give them a chance to win.”

Swayman will have to wait a little bit for his next start. Ullmark will make his Bruins debut Friday against his former Buffalo Sabres team as the Bruins wrap up their quick two-game road trip.