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Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask Holding Down The Fort

By Andrew Thompson

Nov 1, 2016; Sunrise, FL, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save against the Florida Panthers in the third period at BB&T Center. The Bruins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2016; Sunrise, FL, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save against the Florida Panthers in the third period at BB&T Center. The Bruins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Bruins are still trying to find their identity. Thankfully Tuukka Rask is patiently waiting and holding the fort for the Black and Gold in the meantime.

The Boston Bruins seem to be an improving team. They’ve won three games in a row, and even put in a power play goal in their 4-3 shootout win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even though the B’s are climbing up the Eastern Conference standings, they still seem to be a very incomplete team.

The Bruins are still struggling to figure out what kind of team they are. There are multiple reasons for this. There are several young players who haven’t found their place yet on the team. Several veteran players have been out for parts of the season, and other veterans have been practically invisible on the ice.

“We’re still working on [the team identity],” offered Bruins captain Zdeno Chara on the current status of the team. “We’re still trying to establish a few things. We’re working on getting better and always improving. It’s obviously been challenging with guys coming in and out of the lineup. That probably is a little bit of a factor of that, but we have to make sure, no matter who is in the lineup or who is out of the lineup, that we play the same way.”

“Tuukka just kept everything calm in there, making every save look easy and yet he had to make some big saves. I think it’s a combination of everything. When your No. 1 goalie comes back, there’s no doubt there’s a confidence level that grows with that.” Boston Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien on Tuukka Rask‘s recent play

The Bruins have been playing sloppy hockey. In their last four games, they have to go on the penalty kill 21 times. Those penalties hurt them as both the Rangers and the Lightning were able to win two power play goals against Boston.  While the penalty kill has been decent enough to stave off disaster, the other side of special teams has been ugly. The Bruins are still the worst in the NHL on the power play.

In the meantime, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask has been saving the bacon of the Black and Gold. This year’s Rask is a vast improvement over last season. Rask is undefeated so far this season, having won all 6 games he’s started. He’s stopped 174 of 183 shots on net, giving him an awesome save percentage of .951. His goals against average is still an outstanding 1.48.

“Tuukka being Tuukka,” said Bruins forward Tim Schaller after Rask earned his first shutout of the season over the Detroit Red Wings. “He didn’t miss a beat. Looked calm as ever back there. And I thought our (defense) did really well in clearing everyone off for him.”

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Rask is still the best player the Bruins currently have on the ice. He’s been the last line of defense for the Black and Gold, and he’s exceeded expectations so far. Hopefully, the Bruins can hunker down and figure out their identity in the near future.

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