Halak Stands Tall in Shutout Victory

BOSTON - Bruce Cassidy is enjoying an amenity that every hockey coach desires.
To this point in the season, Boston's bench boss has been able to rely on his backup goaltender to provide solid - and at times spectacular - play between the pipes.
And that was again the case on Thursday night.

Jaroslav Halak got the call and made 26 saves for his second shutout of the young season, helping pace the Bruins to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
"Well it's something you need every night to have a chance to win, so for us it's a tremendous luxury," Cassidy said of having both Halak and Tuukka Rask at his disposal. "Again, I thought last year we had a lot of that [with Tuukka and Anton Khudobin] and again we're seeing it this year."

Halak's most important work came in the second period when he made 11 stops - his most active frame of the night - including two stellar saves on Claude Giroux just under three minutes apart with the game still scoreless.
"Real clean first period, not with the puck, but in terms of not allowing chances," said Cassidy. "In the second he had some big saves for us when we needed them - timely - and here we are with the win."
The first save came after Giroux got behind the Bruins defensemen and surged in on a semi-breakaway. The Flyers captain snapped off a shot from the right circle that Halak turned away with his pads with 11:14 to play in the second period.
Halak denied Giroux once again with 8:23 on the clock, sliding post to post to stone Giroux on a one-timer off a pass from Travis Konecny during a 2-on-1 break. Just 1:23 later, Zdeno Chara scored off a blast from the point to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead, which was all the offense they would need.

"You don't want to get too high," said Halak, who was signed to a two-year contract on July 1 to replace Khudobin. "Just want to stay steady out there and just make the saves. Sometimes you just want to wait for the puck to hit you, and that was the case tonight."
The shutout victory improved his record to 3-0-2 in five starts this season, to go along with a 1.43 goals against average and .945 save percentage. Among goalies with three or more appearances, Halak ranks first in the NHL in save percentage and shutouts, while his goals against average comes in at fifth.
"Every time you start a game or play a game, you're hoping to get a win," said Halak. "Obviously, if you can get a shutout that's always more special. But I always say, it's a team effort. Everybody was on the same page tonight."
Which is no easy task given the injuries on Boston's back end. With Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller, and Urho Vaakanainen all sidelined, the Bruins had a defenseman make his NHL debut for the second time in three games when Jeremy Lauzon got the call against the Flyers.
"It's one of those situations that everyone who comes in, we need them to step up and play at the top of their game," said Halak. "I think guys who have come in the lineup, that's what they've been doing. We just need to get through this and wait for the guys to come back."

The 33-year-old Slovak even got into the act offensively against the Flyers. In the closing seconds, he stopped a puck behind his net and dished it to Chara, who floated a puck the entire length of the ice for an empty-netter and his second goal of the game with 23 seconds to play, extending Boston's lead to 3-0.
"I think I had one similar last year from the other side," Chara said of his lengthy tally. "The opportunity was there. Jaro made a quick pass and at that point obviously I tried to get it in, so it's nice."
Despite Halak getting an extra start on the road in Vancouver to spell Rask, Cassidy stuck to his pre-planned schedule of having Halak get the nod against the Flyers. The decision clearly paid off.
"We went back and forth, but this was originally scheduled as Jaro's game," said Cassidy. "He got an extra one in Vancouver, which wasn't originally [scheduled], but this was, so we stuck with that. Tuukka's going to go Saturday [against Montreal].
"We told Jaro, 'Listen, if you come in and play we're not going to limit your starts. We'll allow the competition to evolve.' And he's done a real good job."

Cassidy said he would continue to monitor the goaltending schedule, which could change based on performance as the season progresses.
"We're going to try to keep it as balanced as possible early on," said Cassidy. "And then like we said, if one separates himself from the other like every other position here then we'll allow that to evolve."
But for now, Halak is pleased to play whenever Cassidy calls his name.
"I don't make those decisions. I just take it day by day," said Halak. "I was happy to get a call tonight and play a game - and obviously getting the win, it's always great. But, we're going to enjoy it, and then Saturday is a new challenge.
"I said before the season, I just want to help the guys whenever I get a chance and I'm glad coach has the confidence in me."