Jeremy Swayman acknowledged by Panthers in handshake line.

It was a hard fought and at times a very bitter second round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the Florida Panthers have officially sent the Boston Bruins packing after just 6 games.

There will be plenty of storylines that will emerge from this series but perhaps none will be bigger than the emergence of Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman into one of the National Hockey League's truly elite playoff performers. Although Swayman and the Bruins eventually fell short there is no debating the fact that Swayman is coming off of an exceptional goaltending performance in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, so much so that even his opponents had to acknowledge it.

At the conclusion of Game 6 fans were treated to a great show of respect between Swayman and the Panthers as the advancing Panthers took the time to acknowledge Swayman and his incredible performance in the series. By the time Swayman had reached Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues, the handshake line had already developed something of a small traffic jam thanks to all of the praise Swayman was receiving from his opponents.

Swayman would also be acknowledged by Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who took a moment with the young Bruins goaltender to praise him for his incredible showing in the series.

"I've seen a lot of good ones man, that was right up there with one of the best performances I've ever seen," said Maurice. "Well done."

I'm sure it won't help him feel any better about the tough loss in Game 6, but Swayman can hold his head high after a terrific performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.