A little friendly competition never hurts.
As it pertains to the pressures of tending goal for the Boston Bruins, the increased usage of Joonas Korpisalo has only given Jeremy Swayman and his $66 million more to prove, and it’s raising all boats.
Boston enters Saturday’s rivalry clash with the Canadiens inside the playoff picture — a fanciful image one season ago when Don Sweeney gutted the team’s core at the trade deadline.
With initial low expectations in a retooling season, the Bruins have persistently outperformed their projections and are marching to the tune of nine wins in their last 11 games.
Swayman’s game can be volatile. He’s allowed six goals in three of his last nine starts, including when he got the hook Tuesday in a 6-2 loss to Dallas and in the Bruins’ last meeting with Montreal, a 6-2 defeat on Dec. 23.
But the pendulum always seems to swing back with Swayman, whose overall influence has been an anchor in the Bruins’ upsurge: He ranks No. 7 overall in goals saved above expected and in Wins Above Replacement.
Living inside of that is Korpisalo, who withstood a spirited comeback from Vegas on Thursday to hang on for his 10th win.
Korpisalo and Swayman have been trading starts through January, a month in which the former owns a 1.42 goals against average and a .948 save percentage.
Canadiens vs. Bruins odds, prediction
Swayman reclaimed his place on Team USA in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off for the approaching 2026 Winter Olympics. Montreal’s Sam Montembeault will not return for Team Canada.
Montembeault has delivered a dreadful season. He sits toward the NHL’s lowest ranks in goals saved above expected at -7.3.
In a timeshare with Jakub Dobes and with recent contributions from the rookie Jacob Fowler, Canadiens goaltending has posted a putrid .879 save percentage.
Montreal also resides inside the playoffs with a three-point lead on Boston. It’s enjoyed its fair share of puck luck, scoring on its shots at the best clip in hockey.
This young core that’s been fermenting over the last few seasons has arrived with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson all past the 50-point mark.
But as exciting as Montreal’s youth movement looks, there are still evident growing pains.
High-leverage situations have been slippery with the group’s inexperience and there’s question marks around roster depth and identity.
Boston has navigated this transition with the steadfast contributions of David Pastrnak, who has three points between both games against Montreal.
Pastrnak and his 63 points rank sixth overall amongst all players, and it has ignited his linemate, Morgan Geekie, into a late breakout season.
Betting on the NHL?
Depth and identity are exactly what the Bruins have maintained.
They’ve gotten physical play from their bottom-six forward group with Tanner Jeannot and Sean Kuraly, while Marco Sturm has implemented a quicker, more direct style of play.
Neither of these teams is strong at 5-on-5, but the Bruins have held that advantage throughout the last two meetings with Montreal.
It’s Montreal’s struggling penalty kill against the Bruins’ scorching power play, though, that underlines an edge in what’s almost a coin toss between the real-life “Heated Rivalry.”
THE PLAY: Bruins (-120, bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
