FLUTO SHINZAWA | ON HOCKEY
Anton Khudobin is actually a key to the Bruins’ success
Anton Khudobin is actually a key to the Bruins’ success
So say what you want about the risk of handing the keys over to newbie forwards like Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk. Past performance at Notre Dame and Providence indicates that Bjork and DeBrusk have the tools to handle NHL immersion, especially given the star centers who’ll be holding their hands on their respective lines.
That risk is nothing compared with the finger-crossing the Bruins are doing with their backup goaltending. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, inadequate netminding from Niklas Svedberg (7-5-1, 2.33 GAA, .918 save percentage) and Jonas Gustavsson (11-9-1, 2.72 GAA, .908 save percentage) cost the Bruins playoff entry. They nearly swung and missed for a third straight season when Khudobin (7-6-1, 2.64 GAA, .904 save percentage), Zane McIntyre (0-4-1, 3.97 GAA, .858 save percentage), and Malcolm Subban (0-1-0, 5.88 GAA, .813 save percentage) stumbled around the crease.
The Bruins are hoping Rask returns to his Vezina-winning form with a more manageable schedule. The amount of his rest will depend on Khudobin’s dependability.