Bruins finally get regulation win from backup goalie

Tuukka Rask finally got to enjoy a win from the bench.

The state of Boston's goaltending depth has been a point of discussion all season long, but interim head coach Bruce Cassidy - in only his second game with the club - rolled the dice and called upon Anton Khudobin for Saturday's tilt with the Vancouver Canucks.

The result? A 4-3 win in which Khudobin stopped 29 of 32 shots and earned the first regulation win of the season for a Bruins backup.

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It had been over 11 months since a Bruins backup had won a game in regulation, with the feat being achieved on March 8, 2016 by Jonas Gustavsson.

Khudobin signed a two-year, $2.4-million contract with the Bruins last summer, but his second tour of duty in Boston has been anything but a success. Prior to Saturday, the 30-year-old had posted a record of 1-5-1 (with the previous win coming in overtime) and a save percentage of .885.

He recently spent several weeks in the AHL after being placed on waivers, but was recalled when it became apparent that Zane McIntyre wasn't faring much better.

General manager Don Sweeney has conceded the lack of a capable backup has put tremendous pressure on the Bruins, as Boston had earned three of a possible 22 points in all previous games in which Rask had not started.

Kudobin was good but not great in the win over a Canucks team far removed from the one that was considered a Boston rival, but the win from a goalie not named Rask was much needed.

Whether this is a sign of things to come from Khudobin, or Sweeney is considering other options (such as Andrew Hammond, who was placed on waivers by Ottawa) remains to be seen.