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Dominant Anton Khudobin saves the day yet again

November 23, 2017, 1:53 AM ET [3 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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You want to be thankful for something on Turkey Day? How about Anton Khudobin?

In net for the third straight game, making Tuukka Rask a coach-elected backup goaltender for a three-game segment for the first time since he took over as the club’s starting goaltender in 2013, the 31-year-old Khudobin delivered with a 40-save performance in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Devils.

(On WEEI: The Bruins still rely heavily on their one-two punch of nearly a decade.)

Although the Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead, it was through the midway point of the second period -- with Khudobin having to come up with a stop on a shorthanded breakaway from Blake Coleman -- that you could feel the ice begin to tilt towards the Devils in what was a definite white-knuckle finish.

Completely flatlined in the third period, the Bruins were outshot a whopping 15-to-5 in the third period, and were only able to hang around on the back of No. 35 in black and gold.

That continued on into overtime, where Khudobin came up with three more game-saving stops.

But it was in the shootout that Khudobin truly shined, and exuded the confidence that’s made him your de facto No. 1 goalie, with staredowns of any Devil that dared to try and score on him.

With the 40-save night, Khudobin bumped his season save percentage up to a league-best .938.

This and that

- Another Khudobin nugget for you: Since Bruce Cassidy took over as the team’s head coach last season, Khudobin is 12-1-2 with a .931 save percentage. That save percentage is the second-best mark in the NHL over that span, as only the Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky has a better one (.938). These are not things I expected to write when the B’s put Khudobin on waivers a little less than a year ago.

- My God. What a shootout move by Charlie McAvoy.




I know that I said this about both Dougie Hamilton and David Pastrnak (hey, I’m batting .500 thus far, and that’s a Hall of Fame kind of career), but this player needs to be a pillar of this franchise. You just can’t teach his senses, creativity, timing. The kid is just 19 years old, too! Insanity.

- I can’t be the only one that thought Jimmy Hayes was going to score, like, four goals against the Bruins tonight, right? Maybe he’s just waiting for his return to Boston to make that one happen.

Up next

The Bruins return to Boston for a Black Friday matinee against the Penguins. But first, food.

Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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