All-star Boston netminder Swayman gets the bump he deserves in NHL 24
All-star Boston netminder Swayman gets the bump he deserves in NHL 24
A few days ago, we discussed four Western Conference goaltenders whom EA Sports recognized for their solid performances this year and increased their overalls in NHL 24. Now, it's time for us to take a look at three goalies from the Eastern Conference who received noteworthy upgrades to their in-game overalls.
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Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins: 88-90
Swayman and Linus Ullmark continue to roll as a tandem in Boston, but Swayman could slowly be taking over the net and, as of today, would likely be Boston's game-one starter for the playoffs. His numbers are better, and he's been more consistent than his post-game hugging buddy. Crazy enough, Boston now has two 90 overall-rated goalies in the game.
Swayman hasn't lost a game in regulation since Jan. 4 against Pittsburgh. Ullmark went down with an injury in mid-January, causing him to miss four games. In those games, Swayman went 3-0-1, allowing seven goals on 111 shots (.936 SV%). He had a SV% of .917 in the month of January.
He’s tied with Hellebuyck in SV% (.924), and he is proving that if Boston doesn't elect to give him the pay raise he deserves, some other team will be leaping for joy to swoop in and make Swayman their number-one goalie.
Alex Lyon, Detroit Red Wings: 79-82
Steve Yzerman signed Alex Lyon on day one of Free Agency this past summer to improve his depth in the crease. The Florida Panthers needed help in net down the stretch last season when Sergei Bobrovsky started to struggle. If it wasn't for Lyon, Florida would've missed the playoffs and not had that run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The same thing is happening in Detroit now. The Red Wings' starting netminder coming into the season was Ville Husso, who has been surprisingly poor this year. Lyon was called up in mid-November where he lost his first start before winning his next four. The Red Wings are forced to carry three goalies on their roster at the moment due to them knowing that waiving one of Reimer or Lyon would most likely result in them getting claimed.
Here's a crazy stat for you. Detroit played 13 games in January. Lyon started in all but one game, posting an 8-2-2 record and a .923 SV%. On average, he faced 32.6 shots per game this past month. It's safe to say the all-star break couldn't have come at a better time for Lyon and the Red Wings.
Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers: 77-80
We mentioned back a couple of weeks ago that Samuel Ersson was an NHL rookie who deserved to see his overall increase in the game. In that article, we said that "a bump up to 80 overall would be fair and reasonable." Maybe EA read that part of the article, as Ersson has rightfully been elevated to an 80 overall in the latest roster update.
Since that piece, Ersson has been struggling in the net for Philly. He's allowed four goals in three of his last four starts, sporting an ugly .819 SV%. Still, his play before this recent slump warranted this change in his NHL overall. With Carter Hart now away from the team for the foreseeable future, the Flyers will have to rely on the 24-year-old Swedish rookie for the rest of the season.
Ersson recently got named to the All-Rookie All-Star Team.
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