Swayman downplayed the incident following Monday\u2019s practice at Warrior Arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an extremely high-competitive group and we all have a standard that we all carry ourselves to and it wasn\u2019t met, so that was just emotion,\u201d said Swayman. \u201cAnd again, I know that it\u2019s moved on now and we have a job to do going into Buffalo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swayman said he hoped his comments would be purposeful as he is generally not someone who would have an outburst like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou definitely pick and choose times that, especially [at] goalie, you can show emotion, but at the same time, again, we win as a team and we lose as a team,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd everyone in here has a standard that we know we\u2019re capable of. And I think that\u2019s what really is the underlying cause here. And again, we know we have a job to do. We know we can compete at an extremely high level and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Despite the 6-1 loss in Game 4<\/a>, Swayman said confidence is high heading into Tuesday night\u2019s elimination game in Buffalo. Boston outplayed the Sabres in five of the six periods of Games 1 and 2 at KeyBank Center, and will draw on that experience.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. And that shows that we can compete with the best teams in this league and be successful,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s why our standard is so high and as it should be. And we have really a boatload of reasons to know why we could be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n Marco Sturm said following the game that he didn\u2019t mind Swayman\u2019s mini-outburst.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least one guy had some fire today,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n Swayman said the focus is on getting back on track and playing the style that has led to success this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity and I think we\u2019ve played a lot of the season like a Game 5 mentality, with our backs against the wall and understanding that we have something to prove to ourselves and everyone around the league,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think that we should feel comfortable in a position like this because again, we\u2019ve practiced it and we know that we can be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n Off the ice<\/p>\n Viktor Arvidsson (upper-body injury suffered in Game 4) and Nikita Zadorov did not skate during the 30-plus-minute, spirited session.<\/p>\n Sturm said both players were off for \u201cmaintenance\u201d and the coach would be checking with the medical staff about their statuses for Game 5.<\/p>\n Zadorov was fined $5,000 \u2014 the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement \u2014 for his late-game cross-check Sunday on Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin.<\/p>\n Zadorov, the NHL\u2019s penalty minutes leader this season, collected 17 in Game 4, including 15 for his run-in with Dahlin (five for cross-checking plus a 10-minute misconduct).<\/p>\n Friendly fire<\/p>\n Tempers flared slightly at practice when defenseman Andrew Peeke had his helmet knocked off by Sean Kuraly during a net-front battle. Peeke responded with a cross-check before cooler heads prevailed. Peeke and Kuraly have a tight relationship from their days with the Blue Jackets. Peeke, in fact, gave up his No. 52 to Kuraly at the start of training camp. The two shared the center of the post-practice stretch, which ended with friendly stick taps. \u201cGuys were embarrassed [Sunday] about our performance, especially at home,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cToday they came in and they were [ticked]. We could see it in practice . . . It was intense and we needed to be intense because we can\u2019t have it loose. And again, we have a one-game mission. That was the message today.\u201d . . . Mikey Eyssimont took Arvidsson\u2019s spot on the second line, but Sturm said not to read anything into his line combinations at practice because the lineup will be different for Game 5. \u201cI need more time with the decision about lineups. There will be definitely some changes [Tuesday],\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n