Boston Bruins: 3 burning questions ahead of game with Maple Leafs
By Luke Ryan
Can Boston get wins with out-of-form goalies?
In October, the Boston Bruins were in a great place with regards to goaltending. Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask were both stealing wins, both sitting top ten in the league for save percentage and goals against averages and between them, they amassed 3 shut-outs. A solid start if ever you could have one.
However, in November it’s been a different story – the Boston bruins have conceded four or more goals on 4 occasions. Part of the blame for that, of course, must fall on the team’s defense and in particular, those manning the blue-line, but equally the goaltending has to be questioned.
Key to keeping the Bruins high in the standings will be their ability to grind out results even when their goalies aren’t in the best of form. If Boston can sneak a win even when Rask or Halak concedes 3 goals, we’re laughing.
If, however, we’re taking 4 goal leads like we did against the Florida Panthers and our goaltending is lacklustre enough to allow them back into it, we’re not going to be in the best of places, come the end of the season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a dangerous prospect for an out-of-form goalie. Whilst Tuukka Rask, over the course of his career, has enjoyed a decent record against the team that drafted him – their offensive firepower could sting him too.
Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Morgan Reilly and company all boast the talent to really get in his head and put the puck past him. They proved that last year in the play-offs and in their win back in October.
If Tuukka can hold it together though and pull out a result, I think you’ll see a shift in the Boston Bruins’ mentality. A win after four losses could be enough to turn things around; a confidence boost for the youngsters in the line-up at the very least.