With three games remaining in the regular season, there are still some things that the Boston Bruins need to figure out before the Stanley Cup playoff begins.
Where will the Black and Gold be seeded in the East Division? They are currently in third place, three points ahead of the New York Islanders, and are on the heels of the Washington Capitals, two points behind for second place. It’s still not out of the question that they could still catch the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot, but unlikely.
Other questions still need to be answered by coach Bruce Cassidy and his staff, but one question should already be answered. Who will back up Tuukka Rask?
Rookie Jeremy Swayman should be the postseason backup over veteran Jaroslav Halak. Thursday night, Swayman picked up his second career shutout in a 4-0 win over the New York Rangers making just 15 saves. Yes, there were hardly many tough saves to make, but Swayman has been the better of the backup goalies as of late and the Bruins look like a better team in front of Swayman than Halak.
Will Rask’s backup play much in the postseason? Well, we thought the same thing last summer in Toronto until the goalie backed out of the bubble and went home when he had a family medical issue. The reigns were giving to Halak and Dan Vladar.
Halak was able to finish off the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, but in the second round, Halak and Vladar could not keep the eventual Stanley Cup champions down as the Bruins lost in five games.
Halak is working his way back into game shape after spending time in COVID-19 protocols. Swayman took full advantage of the opportunity in his place by beginning his NHL career as well as a rookie could.
In the playoffs, if Rask goes down with an injury, who do you feel more comfortable with in net, Swayman or Halak? Heck, Jordan Binnington, even though he had more regular-season games under his belt than Swayman, led the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019. We all remember that series, right?
I’m not saying that Swayman needs to start over Rask in the playoffs, but if the situation rises if someone has to play in a game, Swayman has shown that he should be that guy.