Boston Bruins: Jonas Gustavsson Remains Undefeated
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
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The Boston Bruins decided Jonas Gustavsson was the best fit to be their backup goaltender out of training camp and he hasn’t let them down so far. Jonas Gustavsson made 21 saves against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and only allowed one goal to improve his record to 3-0 on the season. Additionally, Gustavsson was able to hold Tampa Bay scoreless on four of their five power play opportunities which was crucial for a Bruins team who has only killed off 75% of their penalties to start the year. “He got tested,” said head coach Claude Julien following the game. “He made some real big saves. And even at the end, when they pushed hard, he made himself big and gave us a real good win here.” Gustavsson, who is nicknamed “The Monster”, certainly did use his size, and the Bruins advanced to 6-3-1 on the season.
In his three games with the Bruins so far this season, Gustavsson has allowed only six goals. With a goals against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of 0.914, it’s clear that the Bruins are in a much better situation this year than last. Niklas Svedberg, the Bruins backup goaltender from the 2014-15 season, finished the season with a 7-5-1 record, posting a goals against average of 2.33 and a save percentage of 0.918. While his numbers don’t look terrible, the fact that he only played in 13 games all season, forcing Tuukka Rask to start 70 games, was the major concern for Boston. Claude Julien clearly didn’t trust Svedberg enough to play in many games which resulted in the team overplaying their franchise goaltender in Tuukka Rask, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07.
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The Bruins as a team have seemingly gotten things on track this season in general. After starting the season 0-3, losing all three games at home, the Bruins picked up the pace with a 6-0-1 record in their next seven games. Tuukka Rask and Jonas Gustavsson both have three wins each on the season which ultimately bodes well for Rask. As long as Gustavsson remains healthy, Rask won’t have to play in an absurd amount of games this season to help the Bruins make the playoffs.
The Bruins will be taking on the Dallas Stars on Tuesday in a game that should include the top two point leaders in the entire NHL in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The Bruins will be looking for only their second win at home on the season, and Tuukka Rask is expected to be in net barring any unforeseen injury or issue.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports