Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas Should Split Time Evenly in Goal

In their first couple of years as a goal-tending tandem for the Boston Bruins, Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have each had their turn as the consensus starter. And they have each had a turn leading the NHL in both goals-against average and save-percentage.

And if the past two seasons are any indication, it need not matter who is in net nor should it matter if there is not a decisive No. 1 in Boston’s crease. For when one of them has had the starting job and used it to the fullest, the other has not had a shabby year himself.

Accordingly, as the Bruins defend their Stanley Cup title in the 2011-12 campaign, a little more balance in the workload is in order.

Odds are neither Thomas nor Rask is going to duplicate his respective season of supremacy this year. In addition, especially come the homestretch and the postseason, the medium between rust and fatigue could prove critical to the team’s backbone position.

With almost a 13-year age difference, Thomas and Rask are like Reggie Dunlop and Ned Braden. They represent, in the words of Charlestown Chiefs broadcaster Jim Carr, “Two generations of pro hockey.”

Or one could say that they are shooting to represent the Just For Men ad campaign that promises to deliver “the best of both” between experience and energy.

Considering recent trends as well as the age gap, most observers might be looking for a recycle of 2009-10, when Thomas was on the heels of a Vezina Trophy-winning campaign, only to fall victim to injury and relinquish his job to the rookie Rask.

There is no doubt that Thomas cannot duplicate last year’s performance, which saw him post a league-best 2.00 goals-against average and .938 save-percentage, then go 16-9 in the playoffs en route to another Vezina and the Conn Smythe.

If the 15 Boston skaters coming back from the Cup run are going to have a hard time resisting hangover, it will be an even more daunting task for a guy who is on the ice for the full 60 minutes of the game.

On the other hand, Rask has yet to show how indicative his 2009-10 season is of the career he will ultimately sculpt. And unlike that year, Thomas may be hampered by a hangover, but not by a hip ailment.

With that in mind, should Rask prove unreliable in the playoffs, head coach Claude Julien will want Thomas to be the second resort he is capable of being.

This means giving Thomas 40 games, give or take, of action in the regular season. That way, he will not lose touch and not succumb to residual wear-and-tear stemming from last season.

Or perhaps Thomas will prove himself the No. 1 man going into Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs. In that case, if the Bruins are to defy the odds and make another protracted run, Julien will likewise want Rask to be ready to step in.

If Julien handles this properly, it should not be too complicated. After all, when they were backups, Thomas and Rask alike were still the envy of other NHL goalie guilds.

When Rask was the only stopper in the league with a goals-against average below 2.00, Thomas was No. 16 overall in that category with a 2.56 average. In addition, he tied for No. 14 with a .915 save-percentage.

Last year, there were seven NHL teams who did not have one goalie finishing with a better GAA than Rask. And in terms of save-percentage, Rask placed No. 12 on the league leaderboard (in a three-way tie with Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick) with a .918 success rate.

About the only thing the Bruins don’t want to see again is Thomas actually starting more games than Rask, but being chased from six of those games as he was in 2009-10. Well, that and Rask’s losing record (11-14-2) over 29 appearances last year.

But with more starts, Rask will likely pounce on more opportunities for more wins this season.

Just as long as he and Thomas garner another playoff spot and are both prepared to build upon it, that’s all the Boston faithful can ask of him.