But one thing doesn’t change in the ever-evolving league: the need for quality, consistent, win-on-a-nightly-basis goaltending. Among the league’s haves and have-nots, teams with the net covered figure they have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup.

Speed, speed, and a little more speed now make up the holy trinity of the NHL here in the late-teens of the millennium.

Defensive schemes come and go in the NHL. Fighting in today’s game is somewhere between an afterthought and tattered film in a hockey museum. Dump and chase has gone the way of leather skates and wooden sticks.

But as for teams that are goaltending have-nots . . .


“You’re screwed, you’re screwed,” mused Boston general manager Don Sweeney, who feels his Bruins are comfortably shouldered in among the “haves.” “You can’t outscore your troubles. Just can’t do it.”

The Bruins, with their somewhat surprising acquisition of veteran free agent Jaroslav Halak on July 1, have their most established goalie tandem since Sweeney took over as GM in 2015, and the most reliable since the day when resident No. 1 Tuukka Rask was parked on the bench while Tim Thomas spun his Cup magic (16-9, .940 save percentage, 1.98 goals against average) in the glorious spring of 2011.

The acquisition of Halak, who at 33 is two years older than Rask, delivers the Bruins to a new season with the Finnish stalwart for the first time supported — and perhaps pushed? — by a partner who at times has been a No. 1.

Setting goals A look at the career stats of Rask and Halak. Tuukka Rask Jaroslav Halak Seasons 11 12 Games 449 449 Starts 429 418 Wins 238 232 Losses 137 150 Ties + SO/OT losses 53 48 GA 969 1,076 SA 12,440 12,769 SV 11,471 11,693 SV% .922 .916 GAA 2.26 2.50 SO 41 42 Minutes 25,773 25,821 SOURCE : hockey-reference.com

Halak has played in more than 50 games in four of his 12 seasons. In theory, he could challenge Rask for a 50-50 job share, or even the No. 1 role, which has been Rask’s mantle since the start of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.

“Listen, when we signed him, I said, ‘It’s not automatic that you are just going to play your 25 games,’ ’’ said coach Bruce Cassidy. “ ‘If you’ve still got it in you and you push him, we’ll see where it goes.’ I believe Tuukka will respond to that and respond well.”


It is a rarity in today’s NHL to have two tenders with a No. 1 pedigree, and to have a pairing with such combined longevity, gravitas, and proven track record.

Rask and Halak have played an identical 449 regular-season games, spanning a combined 23 seasons, and they have combined for nearly 100 playoff games (Rask 65; Halak 30). Rask’s best playoff run came in 2013, a 22-game showing (14-8) that helped carry the Bruins through the Cup final vs. Chicago. Halak’s best was 9-9 in 2010 with Montreal, when he was coach Jacques Martin’s pick over Carey Price, who soon claimed his role as the Habs’ franchise tender.

With Rask ($7 million) and Halak ($2.75 million) in residence, the Bruins have devoted the most payroll dollars to the position in club history. And because of Halak’s curriculum profile and proven record, they will enter 2018-19 with Rask slated to play a more comfortable load of, say, 50-55 of the 82 regular-season games, a substantial drop from the 62 he’s averaged the last five seasons.

“It won’t be 60 games, barring injury, no,” said Sweeney, quickly adding, “I haven’t met a coach who doesn’t play the best goalie, though. And if the other guy is playing well, [Cassidy] has been pretty good that way. At one point last year, he said, ‘No, Anton [Khudobin] deserves another go here.’


“I would suspect something like that might emerge, or Tuuks might get a game off. But for the most part, we won’t deviate from what we’ve laid out, what we feel the blueprint is.”

Tuukka Rask owns a .922 career save percentage. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/File

The decision to sign Halak over Khudobin (for $250,000 per season more than what Dallas paid the latter), while not stunning, was a surprise. Khudobin was a favorite in the dressing room. For the most part, he performed well. The Bruins, Sweeney included, were happy with his work, particularly last season when he supplied a foothold on the net before Rask ultimately caught fire in November.

As July 1 approached, Sweeney & Co. assessed the market, calculated that the price range for both Khudobin and Halak would be “in a pretty narrow band,” and figured Halak’s bona fides made him the better buy. More games played. History as a No. 1. Playoff experience. Khudobin’s postseason résumé is his 27 minutes from this past spring.

“Anton did a good job,” noted Sweeney. “But we felt if there was ever some form of injury — and this has happened to some teams — all of a sudden the season is potentially over. We didn’t want that to happen.

“We feel we have a good team, can be competitive. We feel like each night, we can look at our team and hopefully say, ‘OK, there are reasons why we lost tonight and it shouldn’t be the goaltender.’ And we haven’t been in that position for a number of years.”


Cassidy now has the luxury, and peace of mind, of going to work each night with two tenders who’ve been consistent winners.

Rask went 34-14-5 last season. Barry Chin/Globe Staff/File

Over his six seasons as Boston’s No. 1, Rask has played in more games (347) than any other NHL goaltender. His 191 wins over that period rank second only to Washington’s Braden Holtby (coincidentally, they may oppose each other on opening night).

In that same six-year stretch, Halak has played 245 games (ranked 25th leaguewide) and won 123 (tied 20th).

“He’s a more established guy than what we’ve had,” said Cassidy. “Yes, I always had confidence in Doby; I had him when he was younger. I liked what he brought as a backup. Could he have been a No. 1 if need be? Well he was for four games [last season] and he did a good job for us.

“But Halak has more of a proven résumé there, so if there is an injury to Tuukka, or if Tuukka’s game falls off, and we want to run with [Halak], then it should be a safer choice than with Doby.”

A new season is upon the Bruins. Seven years ago, Thomas backed them to the Cup with his Conn Smythe effort. In ’72, they won the Cup with Gerry Cheevers (6-2) and Eddie Johnston (6-1) splitting the work down the middle.

The formula can change, be it a one-man virtuoso or a two-man partnership in twine, but the need is eternal. Win with goaltending or go home.


“No question,” said Sweeney. “Goaltending has to be 1 or 1A. You are not winning without it.”

Workhorse goalies In six seasons as Boston's No. 1 goalie, Tuukka Rask has played in more games than any other NHL goalie. Here's how he compares to other established starters. Goalie Games Wins Save % GAA Tuukka Rask 347 191 .921 2.27 Braden Holtby 340 211 .919 2.43 Henrik Lundqvist 337 179 .918 2.50 Devan Dubnyk 322 168 .919 2.44 Pekka Rinne 317 123 .914 2.56 SOURCE : NHL.com

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.