The Boston Bruins have exceeded expectations after starting a retool last year, but they're still clinging to the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

It was at that low point that USA Hockey came calling, putting Swayman in position to wrest the starting spot from a shared role with Joey Daccord and, with a 1-0 overtime shutout of Switzerland in the gold medal game, help bring the U.S. a championship it hadn’t won in 92 years.

The Bruins looked like a team that hadn’t played in three weeks in the first period of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. But turned things around after the first 20 minutes of play.

Following a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday evening, the Boston Bruins moved to 71 points on the season and separated themselves a little more from the outside-the-bubble pack in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia has played twice since the Olympic break, dropping a 3-1 decision against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday before posting a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers the following night. On Thursday, the Flyers fell behind 2-0 before rallying behind two goals from Matvei Michkov, including the game-winner in overtime.

There is no secret that the Boston Bruins are looking to make some moves ahead of the trade deadline. At the moment, the club is narrowly hanging on to an Eastern Conference playoff spot. GM Don Sweeney previously attempted to improve his squad by targeting Rasmus Andersson.

Team USA won the gold medal on Sunday in Milan, Italy. They flew to Miami to avoid the blizzard in the northeast on Monday and then to Washington Tuesday, where they were honored at the White House and the State of the Union. The Bruins players arrived back in Boston early on Wednesday morning.

AHL All-Star goalie Michael DiPietro has been reassigned by the Boston Bruins to their AHL affiliate team, the Providence Bruins.