Boston Bruins: Should the Bruins Use Tuukka Rask More?

BOSTON, Mass—Probably the biggest key to success in hockey is having a "hot" goaltender. And when you're in search of that "hot" goalie, it helps when you have two solid netminders.

In Boston's case, Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask are two No. 1 goalies. 

Throughout the first couple months of the season, Thomas has out-played Rask which has led to more playing time. With the limited ice time for Rask, he has been somewhat mediocre compared to his stellar performance last year. 

Rask has a 2-7-1 record with .927 save percentage compared to Thomas' amazing 18-4-3 record with a percentage of .947. Rask hasn't played well, but could it just be the Bruins aren't using him enough? 

Well, it could be. 

All professional athletes need to get into a "rhythm" when they play so they can be consistent; with Rask, his playing time has been up and down. 

Rask has only played in 10 games throughout the year while Thomas has played in 26. Before the season even started, most people would have thought it would have been the other way around; Rusk playing more than Thomas. But, that has not been the case; simply because of winning. 

Thomas has been a winner this year with a league-leading five shutouts. Rask, on the other hand, just doesn't get enough playing time to get into a "groove."

With Thomas sitting at 36 years of age and Rask being only 23, you'd think that the B's would be grooming their young, talented and promising goalie. 

But perhaps, when you look at this team's roster, they have a solid core led by Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton and David Krejci. So maybe the time to win is now. Which means, finding the hot goaltender. 

Boston sits atop the Northeast Division battling with Montreal to claim first in the division. With Thomas playing the way he did when he won the Venzia Trophy a few years back, it might be a smart idea to keep playing him. 

This article was first seen on Sports Haze.

Tony Santorsa is Sports Haze's AFC East Beat Writer. You can read more sports stories at www.SportsHaze.com. You can also follow Tony via Twitter @SH_TSantorsa