Anton Khudobin stops a shot against the Devils in February. (Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Backup goalies were generally unreliable for the Bruins last year until Anton Khudobin finished strong, but he's picked up this year where he left off.
Khudobin is 14-4-and-4. Starter Tuukka Rask is 26-11-and-4. Both rank in the league's top-7 in goals-against-average and top-17 in save percentage.
B's coach Bruce Cassidy told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman it's significant knowing his group has a chance to win no matter who's in net.
"Every team would ask for that, right?" he said. "I mean, you play a lot of these games, you're not going to be sharp for 60 minutes every night. You need your goaltender to bail you out. Other nights, you just need him to be steady. We basically say, give us a chance to win, and we've gotten that from them."
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The numbers speak for themselves, with recent additions already putting up points, early on.
Cassidy gives a lot of credit to Khudobin.
"He finished strong last year, I think that helped him, knowing that he earned the trust of his teammates," he said. "Came back to camp this year in I think a better frame of mind than last year, and ready to go. When his number was called earlier in the year, it's a credit to him, he was ready, and he helped his team through a tough stretch through 4 or 5 games there where he did his job and then some."
The Bruins face the Red Wings Tuesday.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman reports