Boston’s goaltending depth is about to get put to the test as the team announced on Tuesday that Anton Khudobin will miss the next three weeks with an upper body injury that was sustained in practice on Monday. This comes at the same time that the team is currently missing starter Tuukka Rask due to general body soreness and there remains no timetable for his return to action.
Khudobin has played in a pair of games this season while subbing for Rask. Both contests were losses with the 30 year old posting a 4.10 GAA and a .849 save percentage.
As a result of the injury, the team will be running with a duo of prospects Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre for the time being, the latter being recalled on an emergency basis today. McIntyre leads the AHL in both goals against (0.44) and save percentage (.977) this season while Subban, Boston’s first round pick in 2012, has struggled, being pulled in two starts already while posting a 4.50 GAA and a .846 save percentage. Subban is expected to get the start between the pipes tonight against Minnesota.
The team will also be without center David Backes for that game, who is day-to-day with an unspecified injury, adds Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). However, veteran blueliner Adam McQuaid will make his season debut for the Bruins, the team announced (Twitter link).
The Bruins also assigned defenseman Rob O’Gara to their AHL affiliate in Providence. The rookie has played in three games with Boston this season, logging just over 16 minutes per night in ice time.