Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings: Battle In The Net

Oct 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Riley Sheahan (15) and Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (86) fight for position in front of goalie Tuukka Rask (40) in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Both the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings need to see more consistency in net from very pricey starters

Tuukka Rask is a Vezina-winning, President’s Trophy-earning number one elite netminder. He also costs the Boston Bruins around $6 million AAV… which means that he should be posting save percentages far higher than his current season’s .892.

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In comparison, the Detroit Red Wings are paying veteran netminder Jimmy Howard $5.2 million AAV. He’s doing considerably better than Rask so far this season, but his upper-body injury last season cost the team precious wins- and he’s looking to bring the team back into the frey this post-season.

Wednesday night sees both starting netminders back in their respective creases, while each team has played their backups at least once this season already. Rask was given a break following a 4-0 shutout by the Washington Capitals, while Howard has split time with backup netminder Jonas Gustavsson in order to give the 30 year old a break.

The two teams are both desperately looking for a win- the Red Wings to establish a strong lead within the Atlantic Division, and the Bruins to overcome a 3-game losing streak early on in the season. Both teams will need to see consistency from their starting goaltenders, though, in order to secure a win- both teams have the kind of physical play that leaves so much of the game hanging on what happens when the puck tries to find the back of the net.

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