Dan Vladar stood tall for the Boston Bruins between the pipes Thursday. But his 19 saves just weren’t enough.
The Bruins ultimately fell 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden, not due to the goaltending, though. Boston showcased some sloppy transition defense, ugly turnovers and struggles from the blue line that didn’t help the rookie goaltender.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy pinpointed where the Bruins need to be better and what needs to be done in order to get back in the win column. But Vladar expressed disappointment in himself after the game, adding he wants to make every save that comes his way.
“I don’t care how the team plays in front of me. I want to save every shot so I kind of disappointed myself,” he said. “I want to give my team a chance to win and it wasn’t enough tonight. … If you score one goal, you can win with one goal if the goalie saves everything.”
The 23-year-old added that he is appreciative of the opportunity he’s gotten to play for the Bruins this year, and that his mindset is to win every game.
“I wanna show what I can do,” he said.”
Despite his comments, Vladar has impressed in his three games started for the Black and Gold this year, and may get more chances between the pipes if Tuukka Rask is out long-term.
