The goaltending talk in Boston has reached its all-time stupidest.
This is it, in a nutshell: The same people that worry about Tuukka Rask in the playoffs and question whether the Bruins can "win" with him, are tripping over their you-know-whats in praise of Sergei Bobrovsky when the Bruins aren't generating offense.
"I think Bobrovsky's at a different level right now," friend-who-only-I'm-allowed-to-make-fun-of-because-we're-friends-and-I-love-the-guy Mike Felger said on "Felger and Mazz" Wednesday. "I think they have a big edge in net."
But is he? And do they?
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Or is a struggling offense just not generating anything against an annoying-to-play-against John Tortorella team?
Glad you asked. Through three games thus far, Columbus has outscored the B's, 7-6. Three of those Columbus goals have come on the power play; Boston's stinks and the B's have scored just one power-play goal, but they did get a shorthanded tally from Noel Acciari in Game 1.
Boston Bruins
The Blue Jackets have had 27 high-danger scoring chances at even strength. Those are chances in front, rebounds, etc. Boston has had 22.
So if you're counting along, both goalies have allowed four even-strength goals, with Bobrovsky having an easier job (see those high-danger chances). Yet again, we fall over ourselves in fear of the other team's goalie.
And look at the goals the Bruins have scored on Bobrovsky: Charlie Coyle's game-winner in Game 1, David Pastrnak's tying goal in Game 2 and Jake DeBrusk's goal in Game 3. They've all been right in front, which is where they generally haven't been creating chances. When the Bruins have actually gotten in Bobrovsky's face, it's worked.
This is not to downplay Bobrovsky's status as a very good goalie; it's to voice confusion as to why what he's doing against a non-existent offense is markedly better than what you've gotten from Rask.
Holding one in much higher regard than the other is silly. Here are the two goalies' careers:
Rask: 10 seasons, .921 career save percentage, 74 playoff games, .925 save percentage
Bobrovsky: 9 seasons, .919 save percentage, 31 playoff games, .902 save percentage
And their 2018-19 seasons:
Rask: 46 games played, .912 save percentage
Bobrovsky: 62 games, .913 save percentage
Now, Bobrovsky has two Vezinas to Rask's one, but Rask has had a .915 save percentage or better in all but one season (this one; the aforementioned .912). Bobrovsky has had three seasons with sub-.915 marks.
Where they differ most is the postseason, where Rask has been very good and Bob has been very bad. This postseason has seen the free-agent-to-be turn in his first notable playoff run (it's the first time he's been out of the first round as a starter), and he's kicking ass.
So here's the reality: Both goalies have been their respective teams' best players, but that shouldn't be the case for Boston. We've seen Rask play this well in the playoffs while other players like David Krejci and Brad Marchand have gone off. They aren't doing that now, though. Something has to be wrong with Pastrnak. DeBrusk is technically a little less missing since he scored the Bruins' only Game 3 goal, but he's stunk, too.
It also doesn't help the Bruins' bottom line that Zdeno Chara has not been himself. In years past, Matt Duchene gets swallowed up before he can get to those rebounds on the power play. The Bruins can't afford to have this many of their best players not looking right.
The issue for the Bruins isn't that Sergei Bobrovsky is unstoppable. It's that their underperforming offense and power play are crafting him a Conn Smythe in the second round.
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