The Boston Bruins have surged to 3rd overall in the NHL with 83 points, and it’s hard to argue that Jaroslav Halak hasn’t been a big reason for that.
The game of hockey has developed immensely over the years and it certainly makes it tough to win games without a solid goaltending tandem.
With the slow start of starting goaltender Tuukka Rask early in the year, Halak was there to bail the team out with tremendous play in the crease.
So far in the 2018-2019 campaign, the Slovakian native has posted 17 wins in a whopping 32 games played for the B’s with a 2.29 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Very respectable numbers as a “back up” goaltender in todays league.
The B’s have shown time after time that they are confident they can win games whether it’s Tuukka or Jaro between the pipes, and rightfully so.
Coming off an incredible road trip out west, Halak started two of the five games, posting a win against a strong Vegas Golden Knights team and a shutout against the struggling Anaheim Ducks. Most recently having posted yet another strong outing against the San Jose Sharks, ending in a 4-1 victory for the Bruins.
Without taking any credit from Rask, who has been dynamite since coming back from his leave of absence early on in the year, Halak has been just as strong for the B’s throughout the year.
Having two goalies playing their best hockey this late into the season is crucial for teams looking to make a deep Cup run. It gives the B’s some depth in the goaltending position and also gives the team options.
Essentially almost splitting the time between the pipes this year, it’s going to be huge for Rask to have that extra rest going into the playoffs, which could be a huge advantage in favor of the Bruins.
There is no denying that Tuukka Rask is still the number one goalie in Boston, but with that being said, we can’t overlook the impact that Halak has made and how successful of a season this team has had thus far.