The Boston Bruins have been on a tear lately, even with David Pastrnak out of the lineup for part of their ongoing 16-game point streak. But for Tuukka Rask, his own personal point streak is one game better than that.
Per @PR_NHL, Tuukka Rask (14-0-3 since Dec. 29) is just the second goalie in NHL history to post multiple career point streaks of at least 17 decisions.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 3, 2019
Pete Peeters is other to accomplish the feat (1979-80 w/PHI and 1982-83 with #NHLBruins). pic.twitter.com/5VwXa60ATu
After a slow start to the season, culminating in a short leave of absence from the team back in November, Rask has been on top of his game as of late. The 31-year-old became the winningest goalie in franchise history with 253 wins after a 1-0 shutout against the Washington Capitals on February 3rd, surpassing the previous mark set by Tiny Thompson.
The Bruins’ 1-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on March 2nd was Rask’s third shutout this season and 44th of his career. Over his 17-game point streak, Rask has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. His .933 save percentage (Sv%) since December 29th ranks fifth-best in the NHL, while his 1.88 goals against average (GAA) is good for third-best over that span.
Despite this, fan opinions seem to be split regarding Rask. They either hate him or love him, but regardless of what you might think, Rask deserves a lot of credit for the success of the team over the last couple of months. It might be a bit ambitious to start mentioning a Vezina Trophy this season, but if Rask is able to keep up his recent play, it wouldn’t be too farfetched for him to get some votes as the starting goalie for one of the best teams in the league.
The Bruins’ point streak has to come to an end at some point, but Rask is finding his stride at the right time. Of the top four teams in the NHL this season, three of them are in the Atlantic Division. While Tampa Bay is miles ahead of everybody else, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been battling the Bruins for playoff positioning below them. At this point, it’s looking very likely that the Bruins and Leafs will meet in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Given that the last two times these teams have met in the playoffs there has been a Game seven, earning the second seed in the division and securing home ice advantage in the first round could be crucial.
While Rask has been outstanding lately, Jaroslav Halak also deserves some credit for his play this season as well. The Bruins have gotten everything they could have asked for and more from Halak this season. While technically he is the backup goalie, Halak has started 30 games for the Bruins and recorded a 17-9-4 record with a 2.29 GAA and .924 Sv% along with four shutouts.
With Rask getting some more rest during the regular season, it could prove to be a huge benefit for the Bruins when the playoffs begin. It’s likely that the Bruins will have to get past both the Maple Leafs and Lightning in order to make it to the conference finals, and the best chance for that to happen is if Rask is rested and on his game.