Will Tuukka Rask Continue Upward Trend After Boston Bruins' Long Layoff?

At the virtual one-third mark of the Boston Bruins season, goaltender Tuukka Rask has composed an altogether subpar transcript. But if the sequence of his last two outings are any indication, he should have a sturdier four-month stretch ahead.

Statistically speaking, this past Thursday marked a single-night nadir on Rask’s 2014-15 game log. Facing a season-high 44 shots, he was in the cage for each goal in a 7-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks. That amounted to an .841 save percentage, the third-lowest in any of his first 20 appearances.

Two nights later, the outlook underwent a substantial reversal. NESN color analyst Andy Brickley singled out the starting stopper as a key component of Boston’s desperation-induced 5-2 triumph at Arizona.

Per an archived video clip on the network’s website, Brickley stated, “When things aren’t going your way, you want your goaltender to be flawless. Gave up a pair of goals tonight, but he was solid in net. He’s the backbone of this Bruins team, he’s the backbone of their defense. He’s on top of his game. He’s difficult to beat.”

Now the trick will be to elongate that characteristic showing and bolster Boston’s drive for more stability in the remaining two-thirds of the regular season. If nothing else, determination should not be at a premium, because it certainly was not on Saturday.

And for at least the first game of the rest of the season, neither should sheer physical energy. The team is off from game action for four straight nights to start this week.

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Regardless of the reason, Brickley’s description has only fit Rask on rare occasions over the past two months. But the Finnish fortress brought back his effective poise in time to answer an urgent call and avert a would-be season-worst losing skid for the Bruins.

This past Saturday’s win ensured at least two points on the Bruins’ four-game road trip and a more savory taste going into the unusually lengthy break. They return to extramural engagements this Thursday, when they host the potent Chicago Blackhawks.

On the one hand, Rask may have the right to crave a quick return to game action after his bounce-back performance. On the other hand, he joined his teammates in making the full four-day layoff a hard-earned one.

Incidentally, during one of the many recent low points in the second week of November, beat reporter Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com mused, “Maybe it’s fatigue after a long season last year, but at some point, rest for Rask would seem beneficial for the upcoming months.”

Well, less than four weeks after that report, he is getting that rest at this point. And with the likes of Chicago, Nashville (twice) and Minnesota on the horizon, it is hard to ground the notion that he can benefit from the breather beforehand.

Come what may, it is on Boston’s last line of defense to duplicate Saturday’s attitude and outcome more often than not for what could be up to 40 more starts.

At 15-12-1, the Bruins are currently a wild-card team in the burgeoning playoff picture. All of their immediate competitors have at least one game in hand on them, further minimizing the margin for error.

Not so surprisingly, as Rask has gone this autumn, so have the Bruins. To begin his first-ever Vezina Trophy defense, Rask wasted little time looking iffy. In turn, the team failed to translate its status as reigning Presidents' Trophy recipients bent on redeeming unfinished business come spring.

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Even before long-term injuries struck such key supporters as Zdeno Chara and Adam McQuaid, Rask was regularly putting up data that failed to reach shouting distance of his elite bar. In addition, most of his early wins and stingier outings were against less-than-stellar competition.

Nights like the 33-save shutout of St. Louis three weeks ago have been too few and far between, especially against the NHL’s bigwigs.

In addition, while the team may have been drained from travel and rigorous competition, Boston merely did what it was supposed to by repressing the sub-.500 Coyotes.

But assuming he scrapes the blue paint against the Blackhawks, Rask will have a chance to punctuate the latest turnaround.

Not unlike the Blues going into that Nov. 18 meeting, Chicago is on a hot streak (six straight wins and nine in its last 10 tries). A visibly valiant—and reasonably effective—effort on Rask’s part Thursday night would add credibility to the turnaround tone.

On top of that, Rask should have every incentive to lend Boston a top-notch catalyst in the crease. Until he backstops a postseason championship run, he will have a jutting shortcoming in his comparisons with predecessor and former colleague Tim Thomas.

Never mind the fact that the current Bruins roster, even in full health, does not have the look of a reckonable contender. Acknowledging that notion is fine for pundits, but not for padded personnel.

Rask embodies Boston’s long-established pride, and he represents residual hunger in the organization. A combination of plentiful fuel and a motivational spark plug should have no trouble driving a competitor of his ilk and accomplishment.

With the sketchy start to the season, the resultant importance of the remainder and the current layoff, he has each of those elements at his disposal.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics for this report were found via NHL.com.