The recent talk around the Boston bars has been about who can the Bruins pick up before the trade deadline on Monday. While there has been talk about a top-four defenseman or a top six right wing player, a lot of talk has gone elsewhere. It’s really weird to hear talk in Boston about getting a backup goaltender.
Simply put, the Bruins already have one. Niklas Svedberg.
Svedberg has been in a bit of a slump as of late. He did have to get pulled in two of his last three outings. Overall though, his numbers aren’t terrible. He has a .915 save percentage (compared to Tuukka Rask‘s .919). His goals against average is 2.43(Rask has a 2.37). Keep in mind there are teams running back up goaltenders with sub .900 save percentages in the net.
There are some people forgetting that for a while Svedberg was running better numbers than Rask.
The Boston Bruins are barely hanging on to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. With the Florida Panthers picking up Jaromir Jagr for draft picks, there is a chance the cats could catch up and overtake the bears. While the Bruins have to rest Rask, it’s becoming harder and harder for them to find a game where they can ‘risk’ not playing him.
“We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” said Claude Julien on the whole Rask/Svedberg situation. “Have we given some games? We have and we’ve had to pull him. Is it his fault or is our fault? It depends on how you want to look at it. You guys can make the judgment on it yourselves. We’re in a situation this year where we’re battling for a playoff spot, so you need to ride your No. 1 a little bit more.
“Some guys can handle going in once in a while and doing the job, and what has to be better at is – although he doesn’t play much – he has to remain sharp, and when he gets in he has to do the job. That’s what he’s being asked to do in that position. It’s not like we’re asking anything different than any other backup goaltender.”
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The Bruins attempted to give Svedberg more ice time by sending him down to Providence. While it did give him a few games and some practical ice time under his belt, it was against AHL players. (It also meant Malcolm Subban got fed to the wolves in St. Louis.) Now the Bruins are running Rask into the ground.
Rask has had a tendency of being incredibly good most nights. The price we pay for that is that every once in a while, Rask has a game where he couldn’t stop a basketball. When the B’s keep grinding on Rask, his play becomes more inconsistent. So, where can the Bruins rest Rask?
Tomorrow night, the Devils welcome the Bruins to New Jersey. The Devils are only playing for pride at this point, and they pulled out a few of their horns by giving up Jagr. This is a golden opportunity to actually sit Rask for a night.
Svedberg wants to do well. He wants to contribute, and he’s staying positive. Most importantly he wants to give the Bruins a full sixty minute performance.
“Obviously you want to play more, but that’s the way it is and you try to stay positive,” offered Svedberg on his current situation. “Obviously you don’t play a lot and then you go out and have a bad outing, it takes a while to get playing again. You can’t get frustrated, and you just have to focus in practice and stay positive. I’d like to play more. That’s why we play hockey. But that’s the way it is, I have to respect it and work hard.”
Hopefully Claude Julien will give him another chance tomorrow night.