Teetering on edge of wild-card spot, Bruins will need Jaroslav Halak to stem tide

Few could have predicted the level of production that Jaroslav Halak has generated in net during his first season with the Bruins. But in that same vein, could one really expect for the veteran goalie to maintain this level of play for the whole season?

Halak — a solid NHL netminder with career marks of a .916 save percentage and a .240 goals-against average — has kept Boston afloat in the early stages of the 2018-19 season — posting a 4-0-2 record with a .947 save percentage in October to offset a slow start from Tuukka Rask.

As a whole, Halak has more than exceeded what many expected from him as Boston’s next backup — continuing to string together strong performances into November with a 4-3-0 record and a .928 save percentage.

Since then, however, Halak has seen his numbers continue to trend in the wrong direction — with the goalie 1-2-0 in December with a less-than-stellar .883 save percentage and a 4.04 goals-against average.

After posting two shutouts and only three goals allowed once in his first six games as a member of the Bruins, Halak has relinquished four or more tallies in four of his last 10 appearances.

Now, Halak was never expected to be a Vezina contender in his first year with Boston, but it's tough to ignore the downward trend in his numbers as the pages on the calendar flip.

Still, even with his numbers dipping, Halak will have to be counted on once again as Boston’s security blanket on Monday — with the veteran getting the nod in net against Montreal up at the Bell Centre.

Boston is in desperate need of a stabilizing performance between the pipes, with the Bruins teetering on the edge of the playoff picture and in the midst of a two-game losing skid.

Just four points ahead of the Islanders for the second Wild Card spot, the Bruins have a chance to make up some ground against the Habs, who currently sit in the top Wild Card spot with just a single point ahead of Boston.

It won’t be easy for the Bruins, who enter Monday’s matchup on the second leg of a back-to-back slate that featured a frustrating home loss to Buffalo on Sunday.

While Boston has been stuck in a rut for most of December, the Habs have excelled, winning five of their last six games and scoring four or more goals in four of those tilts.

Add in the contrast in performance for Halak both on the road (3-5-2, .914 SV%) and at TD Garden (6-0-0, .945 SV%), and Monday could quickly turn into another slugfest at the Bell Centre.

But when asked of Halak’s play on the road so far this season, Bruce Cassidy harped more on the whole team’s road showings as the main determinant in Halak’s performances. While Boston is 11-4-0 on home ice, it is just 6-8-4 away from the Garden.  

"We probably play a little better at home, or we’ve done that in this building over the last few years,” Cassidy said on Sunday. “Some of that’s youth. I think younger guys tend to get more amped up at home. The longer you’re in the league, the more comfortable you are playing anywhere. So, he might be going as the team goes, a little bit on the road. Or maybe that’s, he’s just found his comfort zone here. I’m going to guess it’s a little bit of both.”

Similar to Halak’s road numbers, the case could be made that the play in front of Halak has also put a dent in his overall numbers in December. While Boston still sits second in the league in goals allowed per game at 2.67, a dinged-up blue line has relinquished four or more goals in four of its last eight games.

Are there a few goals that Halak would like to have back as of late? Of course.

But still ranked as one of the better goalies in the league in terms of 5v5 high-danger save percentage (85.33% - fourth among goalies with min. 600 min TOI), Halak still stands as Boston’s best bet to snap out of yet another frustrating slump.

“He's a pro,” Cassidy said. “He's been around a long time. He's been on different teams. I think he understands what the job requires in terms of his own personal preparation. Pretty easy going guy in terms of getting along with (Bruins goaltender coach) Bob (Essensa). He's got an established style of play, so I don't think we're going to change too much of that.

“I'm sure he has a comfort level with (Zdeno Chara), being friends and coming in here. Other than that, his place, that's just his individual preparation and knowledge of the league and skillset. I think it's allowed him to be solid and we're going to need it tonight."