Jeremy Swayman gave Marco Sturm his biggest answer of the week with 41 saves in Boston's 4-2 win over Detroit.

This wasn't a clean cruise. Boston was outshot 43-27, and Swayman still finished with a .953 save percentage.

Detroit struck first on Lucas Raymond's power-play goal at 3:35 of the second period.

Swayman kept the game from tilting, and David Pastrnak answered 1:32 later.

The third period turned messy in a hurry. Alex DeBrincat restored Detroit's lead at 4:06, and that could've been the moment the Bruins sagged.

Instead, Swayman held the crease steady long enough for Boston's pushback to matter.

Elias Lindholm tied it at 6:22, and Nikita Zadorov buried the winner at 9:42.

Boston rode its goalie through the pushback

That's why the goalie was the story. Morgan Geekie piled up 3 assists and Pastrnak drove offense, but the Bruins only got there because their netminder kept them alive.

Marco Sturm's call to lean on Swayman in an Eastern Conference wild-card showdown paid off.

Boston didn't need pretty hockey. It needed calm in traffic.

Detroit still scored twice, including once with the extra man, and kept pushing late.

Swayman handled enough second looks to drain the building and steady Boston's bench.

He was named the first star, and that fit the flow of the night. The box score said team win, but the feel of the game screamed goalie theft.

The standings gave it real weight. Boston moved to 39-23-8 and 86 points, while Detroit slipped to 38-24-8 and 84.

It also locked down the season series. The Bruins finished 3-1 against Detroit, and that's a real edge when the race tightens this late in March.

For a club that won only 40.0% of the draws, this was survival hockey. Boston lost plenty of little battles and still took the biggest one because Swayman never let the crease get away from him.

Against Detroit, Jeremy Swayman didn't just play well. He gave the Bruins room to be imperfect and still walk out with 2 points, and that's the kind of night a locker room remembers.