Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman Olympics mistake propelled him into playoff stardom originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The painful, most memorable image of Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman at the Olympics wasn’t his Team USA gold medal.

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It was that goal he managed to give up from near center-ice.

That didn’t set Swayman back, though. Goalies give up goals.

And when the playoffs began Sunday, Swayman looked ready to redeem himself with a hockey world watching.

The national broadcast on ESPN featured Swayman on the top of his game early.

He made 15 first period saves, including a few huge ones on a Buffalo powerplay.

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There’s a lot of playoff hockey left, but this kind of play from Swayman is exactly the kind of thing that can be massive in the postseason.

The team with the hottest goalie often goes on the deepest run.

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Swayman is a long way removed from those mistakes.

Now, he simply looks ready to make life very difficult for the Sabres.

He’s got a gold medal. Can he go for more hardware?

If he keeps playing like this, he sure can.

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