The last time most Bruins fans saw Dan Vladar, he was getting lit up by the Lightning in Game 3 of their second-round series back in August, a game in which Jaroslav Halak allowed four goals before getting pulled and Vladar then allowed three more.
Combine that first impression with the fact that Jeremy Swayman is 7-0-0 with a .942 save percentage with AHL Providence this season and it’s clear which goalie Bruins fans would have been more excited to see Tuesday night.
Swayman may very well have more long-term upside, but the Bruins have decided to go with Vladar to start against the Penguins with Halak due for a rest and Tuukka Rask still not back from a lingering injury.
The decision shouldn’t be surprising. Vladar has been around the NHL more -- as a backup not just during the playoffs, but also over the past week since Rask went down and during a couple other call-up stints over the last couple years. He has five years of professional experience, while Swayman is in his first year as a pro.
Vladar is also a good goalie, no matter how bad that brief glimpse over the summer may have looked. He led the AHL with a .936 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average last season. He had a .923 save percentage before getting called up this year.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy explained what went into the decision during his morning press conference Tuesday, saying it was ultimately made by Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa, Bruins goalie development coach Mike Dunham (who has been with Providence) and general manager Don Sweeney.
“Those decisions go, A, to Goalie Bob -- it’s his area -- and Mike Dunham, who’s down in Providence, and Donny,” Cassidy said. “It’s essentially the goaltending department, and they make the recommendation. I can’t get way in too much on that, because both those goaltenders have not played in the NHL, other than Vladdy getting some mop-up duty, which we all know was a tough spot for him against a really good team in the playoffs. So we’re not going to judge him on that. We’re going to judge them on the resume, and the resumes are both very good.
“So they have to pick one. They’re comfortable with both. I think either one would’ve been a good call. Vladdy does have more experience. He’s been around longer. There’s that part of it, like he’s earned the right to get in there. And then there’s, ‘Who gives us the best chance to win?’ And it might well be going back to Jaro, but we don’t want to do that because in the long run we don’t think it’s beneficial to ride a goalie that hard, so it comes back to Vladar and Swayman, and they chose Vladar.”
In other roster news, Cassidy said Oskar Steen will be making his NHL debut Tuesday night, entering the lineup in place of Anders Bjork. Steen, a natural center, will play right wing on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Nick Ritchie, at least to start. Cassidy said it’s possible he shifts him to center and moves someone else to wing at some point, too.
Steen, a sixth-round pick back in 2016, is in his second pro season in North America after making the move from his native Sweden before last season. He had three goals and five assists in 12 games for Providence before getting called up.
These are the Bruins’ projected lines for Tuesday, barring any late or unannounced changes:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Craig Smith
Nick Ritchie - Charlie Coyle - Oskar Steen
Trent Frederic - Sean Kuraly - Karson Kuhlman
Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Jakub Zboril - Connor Clifton
Jarred Tinordi - Steven Kampfer
Dan Vladar
Jaroslav Halak