Towards the beginning of the season, all eyes were on Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask and how he would fare in his eleventh year on the team. His early record made fans worry as he went 3-5-2 in his first 10 starts. The Bruins, in hopes to stir something up, put backup goaltender Anton Khudobin in the crease to make up ground on the team’s poor early season record. Khudobin went 3-0-1 in his first four starts. This again began to raise questions about who should be the Bruins primary goaltender.
Tuukka Rask Critics Have Been Silenced…Again
While fans were figuratively calling for Rask’s head, the Finnish goaltender came back strong. He has since posted an incredible 14-4-2 record. Most of the critics were silenced, especially during the Bruins 16-game point streak. Rask, in that time, recorded a very important string of wins against a struggling Montreal Canadiens team. The three wins, two away and one at home, brought Rask’s record against the Habs to 10-15-3. While Boston’s most notable rival is sitting way out of a playoff spot, the win gives Rask a restored confidence against a team he has not typically fared well against.
Rask’s Past Struggles
Rask’s history in Boston has been criticized just about the entire time he has been there. In 2010, Rask was the heavy favourite over Tim Thomas, who could not seem to get the Bruins deep into the playoffs. In the second round, Rask was in net for the series against the Philadelphia Flyers when they became the third team to blow a 3-0 series lead in the National Hockey League. Many felt that the young goaltender simply did not do his job in that series – keep the puck out of the net.
He was made the backup to Thomas in 2011, when the Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup. Thomas received all the praise (rightfully so) and left Rask in a backup position. Surely this was not the way he wanted his name engraved on the outside of the hardest-earned trophy in sports.
Rask would get his chance two years later after Thomas surprisingly left the team. Rask was in net for the miraculous comeback in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was also in for the game-winning goal that gave the Chicago Blackhawks their second Cup in four years. The inability to close out a series came back to haunt him again. The Bruins have not made it past the second round of the playoffs since.
What’s Ahead for Rask
With a career filled with doubt and blame, Rask is back to receiving the starts in tough games that the team must win. This is a spot he is comfortable in. With a hot offence in front of him to put goals on the board, he has finally felt the comfort of consistent multiple-goal leads. Rask is tied for third in the league in goals against average at 2.17. This is a tremendous recovery from allowing 27 goals in his first 10 games. It is not to be forgotten that Rask has a Vezina Trophy for being the league’s top goaltender in 2014.
Earning Redemption
The biggest thing to worry about would be his ability to remain healthy. Over the years, Rask has been sidelined with illnesses at perhaps some of the most inopportune times. Two seasons ago, with fate in their own hands, the Bruins faced off against the Ottawa Senators in the last game of the season. Tuukka Rask dressed for the game but made the decision in warm-ups not to play. It was in the interest of giving the team a better chance of winning the game with a healthy goaltender. Boston ended up losing to the Senators by a score of 6-1, as former goaltender Jonas Gustavsson was unable to keep their playoff hopes alive. While it is not Rask’s fault for getting ill, it is something that he will need to do everything to prevent it. He is one of the most important and impactful players on the Bruins roster.
Main Photo: LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 15: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins tracks the puck in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on October 15, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights won 3-1. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
