Just over three minutes into Monday’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars, Radek Faksa raced in towards Tuukka Rask as the Bruins were on the game’s first power play.
Faksa sent a weak, usually harmless shot towards Rask. The shot was one you often see on the penalty kill. A let me put this on net, kill some more clock and maybe get an offensive zone faceoff out of it shot. However, somehow, this puck fooled Rask and dipped past the Bruins net minder.
Here we go again many thought as the groans and boos rained down at TD Garden.
“Torey [Krug] was saying it dipped a little bit,… Rask said. “But, yeah, I should stop that. Not a good start. Tough first period. But battled back. I thought we played a pretty solid game.…
Not only did the Bruins battle back, but so did Rask who made the next 22 saves, finishing with 24 in total. The win was Rask’s fourth of the season and first since October 23.
With the exception of three straight point blank saves in overtime, Rask wasn’t tested all that much in the victory. The Stars managed just four first period shots, with two coming after Faksa’s shorthanded goal. But regardless of how much he was or wasn't tested, the win was much needed for Rask.
The start was the $7 million a year Rask’s first since October 27 as the Bruins have been riding the hot hand in Jaroslav Halak. Rask knows that riding the hot hand is always the smart play. He’s seen it work both in his favor and against him during his tenure in Boston.
All you have to do is go back to last season when Rask was facing a late November slump. Then backup Anton Khudobin—who coincidently was in goal for the Stars on Monday—gave the Bruins four straight wins as Rask worked his way back to a consistent playing level.
"The schedule hasn’t been crazy and Jaro has played unbelievable, that’s how it goes,… said Rask. “If you’re a hot goalie like that then you got to let him play, I totally get it, it hasn’t affected me mentally really that much.…
As Rask noted Monday night, the goalie position is mental. A lot can be fixed, or a lot can go south depending on your mental state and overall feeling about where your game is at. For those of us who have followed Rask and the Bruins since his NHL debut in 2007, we’ve seen both the good and bad mental sides of Rask.
“There’s probably just some clutch in your head that just switches. Just try to have fun and let the puck hit you,… said Rask. “A lot of goaltending is mental, everybody in the league has the skill to play at a high level. A lot of times you either win or lose the battle inside your head, I’m trying to win it.…
If it is indeed a mental road block that has caused the less than ideal start to Rask’s season, the confidence boost earned in Monday’s victory should hopefully jumpstart Rask and begin the process of moving past the roadblock.
For now, all the Bruins can do is ask Rask to keep them in games and give them a chance to win. With the Bruins having issues putting pucks into the net, this ask is magnified. For at least one game, Rask did what was asked of him.
“I felt good, there’s been some funky goals I’ve let in. I felt pretty good so that part hasn’t really changed or affected me. Obviously when you’re not playing you have time to think, that might get tough on you. But as I said that’s the mental battle I’m trying to win with myself, be sharp out there. Tight game like today, I thought we were the better team,… said Rask.
“Khudobin kept them in the game there and I just try to give us a chance to win, I’m happy it paid off today.…
So are we, Tuukka, so are we.