BOSTON – The Bruins have been able to avoid prolonged slumps over the last few years in part because they have a talented roster, and because they are guided by some very strong coaching.
But the fact that the B’s also have the NHL’s best goaltending tandem has been perhaps the biggest factor in keeping the Bruins out of extended losing tailspins. However, that hasn’t been the case as much while the Black and Gold have been saddled with a slump that’s seen them lose eight of their last nine games.
The Bruins are tied for 21st in the NHL with an .893 save percentage during 11 games in the month of December, and sit 15th in the league with 2.91 goals against average. Those are pedestrian numbers given the kind of money that the Bruins shell out to employ Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, and goaltending again was an issue in the Bruins 4-3 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on Saturday night.
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Halak gave up three goals in regulation during the loss, including a pair of goals allowed in 35 seconds in the third period. And after the game, Bruce Cassidy termed each of them “save-able” goals in a decidedly frank assessment of his backup goalie.
“[Halak] made some good saves, but, listen, I’ve tried to be honest up here. I believe we have two No. 1 [goalies] in there, but those were three goals that were very saveable. [They were] pucks that probably shouldn’t end up in your net,” said Cassidy.
“A little bit of that is our goaltenders have to push through [some doldrums] right now. We’re not scoring that much, or we’ve got to start scoring more, finishing some plays to allow them to play out. It’s one or the other if you want to get in the win column.”
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On balance, Halak has actually been better in December with a .908 save percentage and a 2-2-1 record while Tuukka Rask has gone in the tank along with the rest of the team to the tune of a 1-2-3 record along with an .897 save percentage and a 2.79 goals against average.
But Halak was pretty terrible in a Nashville loss where the Bruins held a 2-1 lead and looked pretty good heading into the third period.
Halak allowed a sloppy goal by the near post where Ryan Johansen somehow found daylight between the B’s goalie and the post after the puck hit a stick in front of the net. Then, Halak made a bad decision on a Roman Josi blocked shot that turned into a breakaway opportunity headed into the Boston end.
Halak charged way out beyond the face-off circle and won the race to the puck, but then Josi easily blocked his clearing attempt and then flipped the go-ahead goal into the vacant net to send the B’s reeling in 35 seconds of calamity in the third period.
“I was first to the puck. But it was one of those plays where the bounce went the other way and he was able to put it in,” said Halak, who allowed four goals on 29 shots. “It was maybe a simple mistake. It happens to everyone. When the goalie makes a mistake there is nobody that can cover for him most of the time.”
Bruce Cassidy immediately called a timeout to “make sure to keep [Halak’s] head in the game”, and Halak himself copped to his miscues following the game that also included a soft Josi backhander from the high slot that turned into Nashville’s first goal in the second period.
“Both goals in the third, the first one goes off the stick and the second one was a bad bounce,” said Halak. “The bounces didn’t go our way. Obviously that’s the way it is. I made [a mistake]. I’m glad for one point, but bottom line is that all of us in here have to find a way to get the two points. I was just trying to do my job, but obviously everybody makes mistakes.”
The good news is that both the Bruins positional players and their goaltenders are too good to struggle this way for much longer while saddled in this current slump, but obviously Saturday wasn’t the night for any of them to climb out of it.
