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That goalie controversy that showed signs of brewing last week? It’s back on.
OK, maybe it’s not a controversy, but there’s absolutely no doubt that this version of Anton Khudobin can push Tuukka Rask, who returned from a concussion tonight but sat on the bench as Khudobin’s backup in a 2-1 win over the Sharks, to up his game and play to the level everybody expects.
In what finished as a 36-save victory for Khudobin and the Bruins, the 31-year-old corrected some of the errors that plagued him in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sabres (his ability to slow the game down with freezes and covers will be considered one of the biggest takeaways from this game), and remained true to his rather unusual form all at the same time, battling as only he can.
“Dobby is always going to have a bit of energy, for lack of a better word, in there and [more] movement than most, but I thought he was very composed and under control for his game,… Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said of his goaltender after the victory. “Puck play was solid, very focused, seemed like he was taking care of the little details in terms of positioning. Like I said, he’s always going to look a little – you know, he’s not your typical technically robotic goaltender, but I thought it was a very good bounce-back game. Got us points again, every start he’s had his points.…
Khudobin was at his best in a 15-save third period, too, and led by a successful finish that saw Khudobin and the B’s deny the Sharks a game-tying goal despite having to kill off two penalties in the final six minutes and change of the period, and with the Sharks at one point pulling Martin Jones for an overloaded 6-on-4 chance against a winded Black and Gold squad.
“At times [Khudobin] was out of position, you can tell, but he recovered really well and he just battled hard and made some big saves obviously,… B’s captain Zdeno Chara said after the win. “And sometimes it’s not going to be always perfect and pretty, but he really showed that he was battling for us, and when you have a one-goal game, you know, it’s a lot of pressure, obviously, on the goaltenders not to let any more behind them. So, [Khudobin] did a great job for us.…
But back to the ‘controversy’...
The Bruins do not want to run Rask out there for more than 60 games. This is nothing new, really, as this has been their plan for about three years in a row. The B’s place in the standings has often thrown that plan out the window, however, and essentially forced them to run their franchise goalie into the ground. This was especially noticeable in 2014-15, and he basically tapped out in 2015-16, as he was beat down by inconsistencies and a sickness at the end of the year. Hell, he even managed to play through a significant groin injury last season, basically knowing that he absolutely had to.
The truth, however, is that preserving Rask, who has played in four of the B’s eight games to date, doesn’t happen in March, but rather now with your ability to trust Khudobin in games like these.
If you have one goalie pushing the other, which is exactly what can happen after nights like this, and with Khudobin’s record improving to 3-0-1 and his save percentage bumping up from .910 to .926 (the 15th-best mark in the NHL), you put yourself in situations where you don’t feel as if Goalie-A or Goalie-B is a ‘must start’ for any one game. You instead successfully create the balance that the Bruins were first hoping to re-establish when they brought Khudobin back to Boston on a two-year deal in 2016, and find ways to stomach resting Rask, which is exactly what the B’s did on Thursday.
With the points to show for it, too.
This and that
- One more note on Khudobin: With a 3-0-1, and noted by Cassidy, Khudobin has now found ways to nab points in all four of his starts this season. This. Is. Invaluable. When you look at Khudobin’s start last season, it was a straight-up disaster. He had just two points through four starts then (1-3-0), and it took him until the 10th game of his season (and one trip to waivers and Providence in between) to record his seventh point for the team last season. So, why the change in his success?
“I don’t know, to be honest,… Khudobin offered after the win. “I don’t know what to tell you. Last season is last season. I think I answered all the questions many times, and maybe no luck, maybe something in my head, maybe, I don’t know what happens. Only God knows about it, and I kept working. I did everything over the summer. I had the same routine, changed a little bit, but at the same time, you have to have luck a little bit in this league. I don’t really think about last year anymore, to be honest, because last year is last year, but obviously you guys are talking about the start and end of the season. It was different, yes. What’s changed this year, I don’t know.…
Either way, you’ll take it.
- Slotted in a bottom-six role, second-year pro Danton Heinen knows that it’s about maximizing your impact with the minutes you’re giving, and did he ever do that with two goals in 8:39 of time on ice.
Recalled from Providence early Thursday morning, Heinen immediately picked up from where he left off before his demotion, providing an excellent scoring presence with muckers Sean Kuraly and Tim Schaller, and essentially told everybody watching that he has no interest in further AHL domination.
“You obviously don’t like going up and down; you want to stay,… Heinen admitted after the win. “Every time there’s definitely an adjustment period for the pace and everything. I think it gets a little bit less. Keep your pace up down there, so it’s not such an adjustment when you come up.…
For the record, Heinen should not have been demoted the first time around. He was just an unfortunate victim of a numbers game for a B’s roster loaded with injured bodies and established vets.
- Filling in for the injured David Krejci, B’s veteran David Backes moved back to center and was in the middle of a line with Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak. It’s a real different look for that line, as Backes is more banger than finesse, and this line certainly looked the part of being entirely new.
But that was to be expected.
“You know, the two wingers have to adjust to him,… Cassidy said. “[Backes] plays a different game than [David Krejci] and eventually I think Pasta got going, he got a little extra ice. We tried to double-shift him there for a while because he loses a bit of his game with all the penalties. So, I was happy with [David Backes]. I mean, these are his types of games, you know, he gets matched up against a big center in Thornton or maybe Couture and he relishes those roles. Hopefully it rolls into Saturday, that type of mentality, because I think when you’re missing some skilled guys in the middle, then you’ve got to find different ways to win and function and what he brings will help us do that.…
The 33-year-old Backes had an assist, three shots, and two hits in 16:42 of time on ice.
Up next
The B’s return on Saturday night for a head-to-head with the Kings. Back to ‘having fun’ while playing, the Kings are off to an incredible start, with a West-best eight wins and 17 points in 10 games.
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.