The Boston Bruins have desperately needed their number one goaltender to play at his Vezina-winning level. Even at the start of the game last night, Bruins fans in the stands weren’t quite sure what to expect from Tuukka Rask. Rask had trouble in his first five games, going just 1-3-1 with a four-plus goals against average. The team and the fans hoped Rask would come up big for them, and the Finnish netminder did not disappoint.
Rask was nearly flawless in the crease last night for Boston. Tuukka led the way for the team as they blanked the Arizona Coyotes 6-0 at TD Garden. It was certainly a night of firsts for the B’s number one goaltender. It was Rask’s first home win of the season, it was his first shutout on the year, and it was the first time Tuukka let in less than three goals. With last night’s performance, Tuukka shaved nearly a full point of his goals against average (now 3.67), and his save percentage shot up as well(now .874%).
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Tuukka Rask ended up making 24 saves in all. While he was challenged several times during the game, his effort was supported by a team playing a structured defense. Rask was able to see the shots coming at him, and could respond effectively when the B’s did make the occasional error.
“I felt good today, so I just try to keep that going. Obviously a shutout makes you look even better, but I felt good,” said Rask afterwards. “I think the team felt good. The team looked good, so that’s a good building block for us and we’ll try to keep doing this.
“I thought we played a pretty tight game. Defensively, one of the better ones, overall 60 minutes. Not too many openings. We blocked a lot of shots. I saw the puck well. Good game.”
“He’s been a huge part of this team for a long time and this was a big game for him,” said forward Brad Marchand after the game. “He stepped up at the right times and made a few big saves and that’s what we need out of him. It’s great that he got that shutout.”
Sure, it was just one game out of eighty-two for the Bruins. Even the team acknowledges that. Last night had a turning point feel to it though. Bruins fans finally saw a clean, near perfect sixty minute game. Tuukka Rask was on top of his game for the first time this season and it gave the B’s two important points as they head off for the Florida road trip.