Bruins' G Rask: 'I'm pretty concerned how many goals I'm letting in'
Tuukka Rask won a Vezina Trophy two seasons ago, but he has not looked anywhere close to the elite goaltender he used to be in the first three games of this season. Rask ranks first in the NHL in categories goaltenders want nothing to do with: number of goals allowed (14) and number of losses (three). His .846 save percentage is the fourth-worst in the NHL.
While the defense in front of Rask is clearly a problem, the goaltender has also been letting in goals he should be stopping. One of those, a five-hole breakaway tally off the stick of Tampa Bay's Brian Boyle, seemed to confuse Rask, who looked like he had no idea where the puck was. He let in another bad goal later in the game, when Rask was way late in getting down to stop a Jonathan Drouin shot in the third period. The resulting goal increased Tampa's lead to 5-3.
"I’m pretty concerned how many goals I’m letting in," the always honest Rask told reporters after the game. "That’s my concern, but I thought we played pretty good today."
Rask said the solution is as simple as making big saves, something he said he has yet to do, but he claimed that at least the situation can't get any worse for Boston. The Bruins have plenty else to be concerned about with their 0-3 start to the season, but it's obvious that some better play from the goaltender will give a team with a lacking defense a bit of a confidence boost. Rask will look to start doing so on the road as the Bruins head west this week with plenty of questions and very few answers.
(h/t Providence Journal)
