MILAN — Jeremy Swayman said he was filled with gratitude upon learning he’d start in goal for Team USA on Sunday night.
By the end of the first period, though, he had become a headline for all the wrong reasons.
Swayman let in Nicholas B. Jensen’s shot from barely over the red line to give Denmark a temporary lead over the U.S., the lowlight of a night in which the Americans were pushed into a surprisingly tight game against the Danes before winning 6-3.
“It was a flash screen, and it was just the perfect height right between the stands and board level, and I truly lost it,” Swayman said. “And definitely one I want back, but at the same time, especially at this level, you’ve got to stay even-keeled. It’s one shot at a time, and no matter how they go in, you’ve got to step up and stop the next one. So just really proud of this group for supporting me and getting the job done tonight.”
The Bruins netminder finished with 18 saves on 21 shots, with another rough moment coming at the end of the second period when Phillip Bruggisser beat Swayman from the top of the zone with three seconds to go before intermission.
“It’s just a battle and adversity and do whatever you have to do to stop the puck, and I’m really proud of this group for staying even-keeled,” Swayman said. “The confidence never left the group, and that’s a serious trait at this stage in the tournament. And the guys rallied, and we got it done.”
With Connor Hellebuyck dressing as the backup, coach Mike Sullivan appeared to have boxed himself into a corner.
Hellebuyck is the presumed starter for Sunday’s preliminary-round finale against Germany, so pulling Swayman would have meant that Hellebuyck couldn’t rest.
Jake Oettinger, Team USA’s third-string goalie, didn’t dress Saturday, in contrast to how Team Canada handled things one night prior.
Asked whether he considered pulling Swayman, Sullivan gave a one-word answer: “No.”
“Because we believe in him,” he said when asked why. “He’s a good goalie.”
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The potential of Hellebuyck playing Sunday, he said, did not factor into it.
“Sway is a confident man,” Jack Eichel said. “He knows nine times out of 10 — or 99 times out of 100 — he’s going to have that [shot from the red line]. It’s a crazy play. I don’t know, I lost the puck up in the lights a few times tonight as well. The setting is a bit different.
“We don’t fault him. He’s part of our group. He made some huge saves for us at key times of the game. Funky bounce. You just move on.”
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