Swayman stopped 30 of the 31 shots that came his way, while Boston’s middle-six forward corps — an area of uncertainty through camp — showed signs of cohesion.
“Feels good to get training camp under our feet, and pace of play is the biggest thing,” Swayman said. “And that’s something that we can build on every game and that was what we did with these six games.”
Nikita Zadorov tallied two goals, while Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm (a power-play marker) also lit the lamp.
Observations from Saturday’s victory:
▪ Swayman’s attendance alone is a welcome sight after last year’s holdout, but the Bruins should be encouraged that their leading netminder has been sharp. Swayman closed out preseason play sporting a .942 slash percentage over two games.
Even with New York holding a 31-16 edge in shots, the Bruins exclusive the number of Grade-A chances.
“We have a great system that Marco and the coaching staff has put together for us,” Swayman said. “And we just have to do it the right way with our speed and physicality and attention to detail through all 60 minutes.”
▪ Fraser Minten all but secured a spot on Boston’s roster with his showing.
The 21-year-old center has drawn high praise from Sturm for his refined two-way game and workman-like approach. The youngster complemented that with tangible production — setting up Zadorov’s opening salvo with a slick backhand feed at 5:55 of the first period.
“I like this kid. He played great,” Sturm said. “He came in ready to go. He played like a man. … He was very, very solid. That’s exactly the way I wanted him to play.”
▪ Of course, giving Minten a clear runway for regular reps at third-line center is only feasible if a second line of Casey Mittelstadt, Viktor Arvidsson, and Zacha jell as a playmaking trio.
Zacha might be at his best playing down the middle, but shifting him to wing could coax the forward to uncork his underrated shot more often — especially with a playmaker in Mittelstadt.
That creativity was on display with tic-tac-toe passing in the first that ended with Zacha snapping a puck past Igor Shesterkin’s blocker at 14:39.
▪ A Bruins roster that added plenty of sandpaper this offseason showcased it on Causeway Street. Mark Kastelic dropped the gloves with Blueshirts resident bruiser Matt Rempe in the opening period, while Mikey Eyssimont got into a quick scrap with Carson Soucy in the second after objecting to a neutral-zone anthem on Minten.
▪ Boston’s best avenue toward sparking a dormant offense is elevating a power play that ranked 29th last season with a 15.2 percent success rate.
Saturday was an encouraging step, with Boston’s leading unit cashing in just 11 seconds after Will Borgen was called for holding in the second period.
Rather than prop up David Pastrnak as the leading triggerman, the Bruins’ leading forward served as a distributor, drawing skaters to him before flipping a backhand feed to Charlie McAvoy.
McAvoy’s quick shot sailed into traffic, where it was tipped home by Lindholm for Boston’s third goal.
▪ The Bruins still have decisions to make.
Boston needs to cut its 28-man grouping down to 23 by 5 p.m. on Monday, with Sturm noting the Bruins are evaluating their options.
“It’s still up in the air. We’ve got to wait until tomorrow, probably,” Sturm said. “If we’re going to have two extra forwards or two extra D, I don’t know yet. There’s still a few moving parts. Could be a waiver thing, could be anything. We’re just not there yet.”
Matt Poitras, Johnny Beecher, Matej Blumel, and Jordan Harris were not on Boston’s game roster, while Alex Steeves and Jonathan Aspirot took part in warm-ups but did not play.
Sturm stressed that any player omitted from Saturday’s lineup is not out of the running.
“The other guys are still good,” Sturm said. “But I definitely have a better idea immediately on what everyone can bring to this team.”
Conor Ryan can be reached at conor.ryan@globe.com.
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