The Bruins are about to have another goaltending decision to make, as Jaroslav Halak is getting closer to a return.
Halak has been out since April 3 because of COVID-19 protocols. He has been on the ice on his own and was scheduled to be on the ice with the taxi squad on Monday. He has not yet practiced with the full team, but coach Bruce Cassidy said he was traveling with them on their five-game road trip that begins Tuesday night in Buffalo.
This could be a similar situation to Tuukka Rask traveling with the Bruins on their last road trip, where there may not be any plan for him to play in a game, but they bring him along to get practice action.
Regardless, it's clear that Halak is getting closer to being able to return to game action. The question is whether they'll actually start him even once he's ready to do so.
Rask has played well in two games since his own return, but more importantly as it relates to Halak, Jeremy Swayman has played very well in his five starts.
Swayman, the 22-year-old rookie, is now 4-1-0 with a .938 save percentage and 1.78 goals-against average. Halak, by comparison, was 9-5-3 with a .910 save percentage and 2.44 GAA before his COVID bout. He was not exactly at his best just before going on the COVID list, going 3-3-1 with an .887 save percentage over his last seven starts.
With just 13 games left in the regular season, there is a strong case to be made that the Bruins should just continue to roll with Rask and Swayman. Rask could use as many reps as he can get as he continues to get back into rhythm, and Swayman could use as much experience as he can get before what would be not just his first NHL postseason, but his first professional postseason.
But we don't know if that will actually be the Bruins' plan. Perhaps they still see a role for Halak. Perhaps they still consider him their No. 2 despite Swayman's strong play. Even if they do view Halak as the No. 3 now, they still might want to get him into a couple games down the stretch.
We discussed the Bruins' goaltending situation and what happens when Halak returns -- along with a bunch of other topics, including the play of their three trade deadline acquisitions -- on the latest episode of The Skate Podcast. Listen here: