Anton Khudobin Likely To Start For Bruins Against Sabres
BOSTON (CBS) -- On Sunday night in Buffalo, Claude Julien went with Anton Khudobin in net, and the backup goalie proved up to the task as he stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 3-1 Bruins win.
Just five nights later, Julien is apparently hoping for a repeat. Khudobin was the first goalie off the ice after Friday's morning skate, which is normally an indication that he will be the starting goalie.
Bruins coach Claude Julien spoke to the media after the skate and wouldn't tip his hand, saying only that his goalie would be "European."
Khudobin has won the two games in which he's played this year. He stopped 29 of 32 shots against Carolina in late January, and overall, he's posted a .931 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average.
He'll fill in, obviously, for Rask, even though the Bruins' schedule is not particularly busy at the moment. The team has played just twice in the past eight days due to the postponed game during the blizzard, and Rask has played just one of them. He'll likely be back in the crease Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg, after which the Bruins have three days off before their next game.
Rask is 6-1-2 with a 2.07 GAA and .919 save percentage. He did allow six goals on 31 shots against Buffalo on Jan. 31, though on four or five of them, it would have been hard to blame the goaltender.
Since beating the Bruins, the Sabres have lost five of their seven games in February.
