BOSTON- When Tuukka Rask went down with an upper-body injury in mid-March, the Bruins had a decision to make. With several back-to-backs on the horizon, Boston was being forced to turn the net over to one of their two rookie netminders, who between them claimed less than 29 minutes of National Hockey League experience entering the 2020-21 campaign.
At first, the Black & Gold opted for that experience, however limited it might have been, when Daniel Vladar got the call over Jeremy Swayman on March 16 in Pittsburgh. The Czech native impressed with a 34-save performance - including a highlight-reel stop that landed him as the No. 1 play on SportsCenter - in his first career victory.
But when Jaroslav Halak was sidelined by COVID in early April, Boston had no choice but to turn to the highly touted Swayman, who was in the midst of a dominant inaugural campaign with the Providence Bruins. The former Hobey Baker finalist brought with him an impressive pedigree, but no one was quite sure how it might translate to the NHL level.
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