Boston Bruins goalie Malcolm Subban will make his first career NHL start Friday night against the St. Louis Blues.
Subban, who joined the club earlier in the week in Edmonton, is getting the start because netminder Tuukka Rask requires rest after playing in 24 of Boston’s last 25 games.
The 21-year-old goalie is the brother of Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban. Both of his parents will be in attendance for his debut in St. Louis.
Subban spent a week with the club earlier in the month and he was recalled again on Feb. 16.
In 24 games this season with the Providence Bruins — Boston’s AHL affiliate — Subban has registered a 10-10-3 record with a .920 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average.
“He’s a good goaltender,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien told reporters Friday. “We’ve watched him in Providence, we’ve watched him here in practice and I anticipate our team to play well in front of him. I think he’s made some really good adjustments to the pro game from where he was before because he could be really aggressive when it came to coming out of his net.”
The Bruins originally selected Subban with the 24th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Entering Friday, Boston holds the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games and are just one point ahead of the Florida Panthers in the wild card standings.