Kalman's Grades: Goaltending Not Bruins Lead Issue, But Will Need Improvement
BOSTON (CBS) -- Goaltending has been the backbone of the Bruins' success the past several years, both with Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask as the primary goaltenders and with a handful of strong backups.
So it should be no surprise that while the Bruins' team-wide results have suffered this season, the goaltending has been more malleable than in past years.
There have been stretches when the goaltender was the last man deserving of criticism, and times when the goaltender has been part of the problem. The Bruins are definitely going to need improved play in the second half of the season.
Here are the grades for Boston's two goaltenders:
Tuukka Rask
Grade: C
It'd be cliché to call Rask's 2014-15 season a roller coaster. But if you look at the numbers month to month, there's no other way to describe it. He had a .899 save percentage in October. He followed that with a .935 and .896 in November and December, respectively. January was off for a rousing start for Rask, as his performance in Pittsburgh improved his save percentage in three games in the first month of 2015 to .941. For the season he has a .913 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average. Of course, for long stretches he not only played behind a defense that lacked Zdeno Chara but was missing other veterans. And the Bruins offense, ranked in the bottom third of the League all season, hasn't helped matters either.
Will the real Rask – the one that carried the team to the 2013 Stanley Cup finals and won the Vezina last season – emerge for the stretch run? One would expect that regardless of how the Bruins finish the season, the goaltending won't be the lead issue.
Niklas Svedberg
Grade: C
For the first time in his career, Svedberg has been asked to be a part-time goaltender. He's adapted to the role with mixed results and has the 4-5-0 record to show for it. He also has a 2.46 GAA and .918 save percentage for the season. Svedberg's rebound control was questionable even when the Bruins were winning in front of him earlier in the season. With Rask so inconsistent, Svedberg might've been able to earn an extra start or two if he'd played better.
He has to continue to mature and learn how to stay sharp even when he goes a week or two between starts. Coach Claude Julien likes to lean on both his goaltenders down the stretch. But with Boston in the rare situation of trying to play their way back into the top eight in the Eastern Conference rather than just playing for positioning, Julien might have to ride Rask more in the second half than he wants to unless Svedberg proves he's worthy of more ice time.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
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