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Boston Bruins Goaltender Tuukka Rask Earns NHL Honors

By Brandon Share-Cohen

Oct 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save during pre-game warmup before playing Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save during pre-game warmup before playing Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Boston Bruins Goaltender Tuukka Rask Earns NHL Honors for the Week ending Nov. 13

While the Boston Bruins defense may be shaky, it’s hard to tell when simply looking at boxscores. Despite receiving criticism from many within the fanbase, Tuukka Rask remains one of the best goalies in the entire world. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, however, as he was named the NHL’s first start of the week ending on Nov. 13.

Last week, Rask posted a 4-0-0 record with a 0.75 goals against average and a .970 save percentage as well as two shutouts. In that stretch of time, Rask played against the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, and Colorado Avalanche.

Buffalo Sabres – Nov. 7 – Home

Rask made 32 saves against the Sabres and recorded a shutout against the division rival. The game was the first of a back-to-back set starting with the Sabres and ending with the Montreal Canadiens. Zane McIntyre received the start in that game and held his own but ultimately allowed a goal in the final minute of the game to give the Canadiens the win. It was the Bruins only loss of the week.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Nov. 10 – Home

The Bruins played against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 10. Though they allowed two goals, the team simply rolled past the Blue Jackets with relative ease. After allowing an early goal from Nick Foligno at the 2:29 mark of the game, the Bruins exploded for five unanswered goals (four coming between the 8:47 and 12:48 mark of the first period).

Arizona Coyotes – Nov. 12 – Road

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Rask was arguably the Bruins best player when the team took on the Coyotes on Nov. 12. Though the team took 29 shots and recorded the 2-1 win, the victory wasn’t a pretty one. Rask was able to shut the door on Arizona for much of the game, recording 31 saves on 32 shots with the only goal coming at 12:05 of the third period when the Coyotes had the man-advantage. Rask backstopped the team to some much-needed two points and was once again exceptional on the road.

Colorado Avalanche – Nov. 13 – Road

The Bruins came out as the winners on the road against the Avalanche, and it wasn’t even close. Rask recorded 20 saves for the shutout while his offense did their job in front of him. Though the team only scored two goals – one being an empty-net tally from Dominic Moore, the score wasn’t indicative of how well the offense played. The final shot counter for the game had the Bruins outshooting the Avalanche 45-20 with Varlamov making an exceptional effort to keep his team in the game throughout the night.

Shining on the Road

In six starts on the road, Rask has been flawless. He holds a 6-0-0 record in road games this season to go along with a 1.48 goals against average and a .952 save percentage. Those numbers are pristine and are entirely indicative of how good Rask truly is. The Bruins currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, fourth in the Eastern Conference, and fifth in the entire NHL with 20 points.

Next: Rask Records Third Shutout of the Season

All 10 of the Bruins wins have come from Rask this season. The Finnish netminder currently holds a 10-1 record on the year with a 1.54 goals against average and a .945 save percentage and three shutouts. Rask is also only the second goalie in the Bruins 92-year history to win 10 of his first 11 games in a season. The other to do so? Gerry Cheevers in the 1976-77 season.

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