Which games will Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin start the remainder of the season

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy likes to plan out his goaltending rotation a week in advance. There are many factors that go into a coach's decision for the games the No. 1 will start, and which games are best for the backup to play. Of course, it can change based on the situation and right now the coach admitted he's deciding on a game-to-game because of Anton Khudobin's recent success.

Khudobin is playing well and has won the last two games. In fact, he hasn't lost in regulation yet this season with a 5-0-2 record, along with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. Tuukka Rask hasn't been at his best to start the season with a 3-7-2 record, 2.89 GAA and .897 SP.

Cassidy hasn't made a decision yet on his starting goalie against the Devils on Wednesday. He described this as a good problem to have.

"A little bit more (game-to-game) because obviously the other night it would have been Tuukka in San Jose, but we went with Dobby," Cassidy said. "At the end of the day we still want to watch the starts, that's the more important thing when you schedule it. Are they getting their good rest? How many starts are they going to end up with? So, if Tuukka gets a few off now, sometimes that happens with injuries, then maybe he makes them up later. It's a crystal ball kind of thing. That's the best we can do with that."



After Wednesday's game against the Devils, the Bruins will have 62 games remaining. There are plenty of starts for both goalies. At this point, with the Bruins needing points, it appears Cassidy will go with the hot hand against the Devils.

"Do you go with the hot hand and leave your No. 1 sitting for a while? Then he starts to wonder what the hell is going on," Cassidy said. "We've got to keep them both in a good place. Not lose out on Dobby's good run and keep Tuukka focused and confident in his game. That's what we're battling against and I talked to Goalie (coach) Bob (Essensa) about it every day. We'll make our decision (Wednesday) and hopefully it's the right one."

So, let's perform a fun exercise and forecast the remaining starts for each goalie. Keep this in mind: The Bruins want to keep Rask between 55-60 starts. That means Khudobin starts anywhere between 22 and 27.  The way I have it below, Rask will finish with 55 and Khudobin 27.

NOVEMBER

22 at New Jersey (Khudobin)

24 vs. Pittsburgh (Rask)

26 vs. Edmonton (Khudobin)

29 vs. Tampa Bay (Rask)

DECEMBER 

2 at Philadelphia (Rask)

4 at Nashville (Rask)

7 vs. Arizona (Khudobin)

9 vs Islanders (Rask)

13 at Detroit (Rask)

14 vs. Washington (Khudobin)

16 vs. Rangers (Rask)

18 vs. Columbus (Rask)

19 at Buffalo (Khudobin)

21 vs. Winnipeg (Rask)

23 vs. Detroit (Rask)

27 vs. Ottawa (Rask)

28 at Washington (Khudobin)

30 at Ottawa (Rask)

JANUARY 

2 at Islanders (Khudobin)

4 vs. Florida (Rask)

6 vs. Carolina (Khudobin)

7 at Pittsburgh (Rask)

13 at Montreal (Rask)

15 vs. Dallas (Khudobin)

17 vs. Montreal (Rask)

18 at Islanders (Khudobin)

20 at Montreal (Rask)

23 vs. New Jersey (Rask)

25 at Ottawa (Rask)

30 vs. Anaheim (Rask)

FEBRUARY 

1 vs. St. Louis (Khudobin)

3 vs. Toronto (Rask)

6 at Detroit (Rask)

7 at Rangers (Khudobin)

10 vs. Buffalo (Rask)

11 at New Jersey (Khudobin)

13 vs Calgary (Rask)

17 at Vancouver (Rask)

19 at Calgary (Rask)

20 at Edmonton (Khudobin)

24 at Toronto (Rask)

25 at Buffalo (Khudobin)

27 vs. Carolina (Rask)

MARCH

1 vs. Pittsburgh (Rask)

3 vs. Montreal (Rask)

6 vs. Detroit (Rask)

8 vs. Philadelphia (Khudobin)

10 vs. Chicago (Rask)

11 at Chicago (Khudobin)

13 at Carolina (Khudobin)

15 at Florida (Rask)

17 at Tampa Bay (Rask)

19 vs. Columbus (Rask)

21 at St. Louis (Khudobin)

23 at Dallas (Rask)

25 at Minnesota (Rask)

27 at Winnipeg (Khudobin)

29 vs. Tampa Bay (Rask)

31 vs. Florida (Rask)

APRIL

1 at Philadelphia (Rask)

3 at Tampa Bay (Rask)

5 at Florida (Rask)

7 vs. Ottawa (Rask)