Jake Oettinger returns to Boston on Tuesday night, where he'll try to lead the Dallas Stars to victory against the first-place Bruins in a matchup between two of the NHL's hottest teams to begin the 2022-23 season.
The former Boston University star presents a tough test for the Bruins.
Oettinger is the early leader for the Vezina Trophy with an outstanding .959 save percentage and a 1.25 GAA. He also leads the league with 6.70 goals saved above average (GSAA) and an incredible .929 save percentage on high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
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One way to describe Oettinger is that he's everything the Bruins should hope Jeremy Swayman becomes.
Just like Swayman, Oettinger made his regular season debut in 2020-21 and played fantastic as a rookie.
In fact, their first two seasons looked pretty similar from a statistical perspective:
Where Oettinger separated himself was in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Similar to Swayman, Oettinger lost in Game 7 of the first round, but he wasn't the reason why the Stars were eliminated by the Calgary Flames. He was the only reason they got anywhere close to a Game 7. Oettinger posted a .954 save percentage and a 1.82 GAA in the series. He made 64 saves on 67 shots (.955 save percentage) in Game 7 and still lost in overtime because the Stars offense couldn't produce when it mattered most.
Oettinger has carried that momentum into the 2022-23 regular season with a hot start. Swayman, on the other hand, has struggled in his first couple appearances after a decent performance in last season's playoffs.
The University of Maine product has given up nine goals on 49 shots through two starts.
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"I feel like I let the boys down," Swayman told reporters after last week's 7-5 loss to the Ottawa Senators. "I'm going to go back to the drawing board and do whatever I can because I guarantee you I'm going to make this up."
Swayman added: "I just didn’t get in front of the puck. Lot of leaky goals. It's something that I can fix and I will."
Ullmark is establishing himself as Bruins' clear-cut No. 1 goalie with hot start
Luckily for the Bruins, Linus Ullmark has arguably been their best player over the first week-and-a-half of the season. The Swedish netminder has a firm grip on the No. 1 role with a 4-0-0 record, a .929 save percentage and a 2.23 GAA.
But all hope is not lost for Swayman -- not even close. We're less than two weeks into the season. But he absolutely needs to play better.
Oettinger beat out all competition in the Stars' net, established himself as the undisputed starter, and recently signed a three-year contract extension worth $12 million ($4 million salary cap hit) that kicks in next season. The new contract didn't make Oettinger comfortable, either, as he's taken his performance to another level or two.
This is what the Bruins should want to see from Swayman, who's also in the final year of his rookie deal.
The best-case scenario for the Bruins long term is Swayman becoming a top-15 goalie for the next decade. At age 23, Swayman fits the timeline of the Bruins' best young players, most notably No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy and superstar right wing David Pastrnak.
Tuesday night's game at the Garden could be a look into the future. It's possible both of the goalies on the ice rank among the best at their position for a long time. We know Oettinger is well on his way toward joining that group. The Bruins are hoping Swayman can turn it around and get back on that path, too.