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It’s been entirely too easy to razz Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask for not living up to his end of the bargain as an elite goaltender making the third-most money among those at his position this season. But at what point do you begin to look at the team in front of him and ask what the hell is going on?
In what finished as the 30-year-old Rask’s 10th loss in 13 decisions to date, this one by a 4-2 final to the visiting Oilers at TD Garden on Sunday, the Bruins were sloppy, sluggish, and never seemed to find the step that propelled them to a 4-3 victory over the Penguins on Friday.
“We lacked energy,… Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, clearly frustrated with his group in a listless Sunday showing, admitted. “That was very visible to everyone. I don’t think [Edmonton] had a ton early on either. I think there was an opportunity there to dictate the pace of the game, help with the outcome, then we do get the power play goal. So, we were fortunate there to make a good play, but that couldn’t kick-start us, in terms of energy, to extend the lead. It’s disappointing. You’re at home. We’ve played well of late. We started well Friday, just didn’t have it tonight.…
That’s something that really can’t come back to or held against Rask.
Consider this: When the Oilers finally broke through for their first goal of the night, which was scored 9:30 into the second period and by apparent B’s killer Patrick Maroon, the Bruins had a 1-0 lead, but peppered just eight shots on goal the other way. They were sleepwalking. And by the end of the second period, the Bruins and Oilers were tied at two, but with the Oilers holding a 27-to-11 advantage in shots on goal. The Black and Gold were once again flatlining in the second period.
“I don’t know and there’s no excuse for it,… Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, who was on the ice for three of Edmonton’s four goals, said of the club’s middle period struggles. “It’s just making sure we maintain focus and stay the course. I think lately we’ve been playing with a lead and it’s almost like you take your foot off the gas, good teams are going to put pucks in the back of the net and change the momentum of the game. We just got to regain our focus and make sure we do those things right.…
That came back to hurt the Bruins when Ryan Strome capitalized on yet another end-to-end breakdown by the Bruins just 2:07 into the third period, and gave the Oil a crucial one-goal edge.
It held, too, despite a 14-shot frame from the Bruins, and 32-of-35 night from Rask.
But when you complain about the shots and chances for, it’s not that it’s just two goals of support, but how consistent the lack of offensive support for Rask has been. It’s as real as the massive save percentage gap between the two goaltenders. You can’t even deny it at this point. The Bruins barely average two goals per night when Rask starts, and have put up an average of 3.5 goals per game when the 31-year-old Khudobin is in the cage. It remains unexplainable, really.
“I don’t think the players, it ever crosses their mind who’s in net,… Cassidy said. “I mean, we got two in New Jersey, two in LA. We just play, and we’re in a lot of close games. It’s just who we are right now. We’d like to extend leads better. I thought we did it against Pittsburgh, a very good team came back and then we got it again. So no I don’t think our players think about that, ‘Well, it’s Tuukka tonight, we owe him run support, or it’s Dobby.’ We just play, and tonight, I just thought we lacked energy, and I don’t know if it would’ve mattered who was in net. We just didn’t have a lot of jump.…
“When [losses] start to pile up and nothing seems to go your way, it’s frustrating,… Rask said after the loss. “Obviously right now it’s frustrating, but tomorrow is a new day, go back to work. Not tomorrow, but Tuesday, go back to work and start building something new. That’s all you really can control – your work ethic, and attitude, and how you show up to work. That’s what I’m going to do.…
The loss put an end to a season-best four-game win streak for the Bruins.
This and that
- So, with another loss to his name, can the B’s really go back to Rask on Wednesday?
“We can, of course,… Cassidy said. “We generally don’t announce that this far ahead of time. Tuukka [Rask] – he’s a world-class goaltender. He’s going to get his wins. Hopefully whoever is in there Wednesday, we are going to get a good chance to win. We have a good hockey team coming in here, so we’ll rest for the day and then get back to work Tuesday. We’ll have a better idea then.…
- After sitting out the last four games as a healthy scratch, it was a season-low 6:09 of time on ice for Matt Beleskey tonight. Beleskey’s season now reads zero goals, zero assists, zero points, and a minus-8 rating in 14 games played. It’s getting tough to imagine this player getting himself back on track under Cassidy and in Boston. It’s not for a lack of trying, though, as Beleskey continues to put in the extra work and practice sessions to get himself right. I’m just not sure how this spell ends.
- Peter Cehlarik is going to miss some significant time for the Bruins, it would seem. Injured in Friday’s victory over the Penguins, the B’s say that Cehlarik will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
It’s a tough break for an undoubtedly impressive youngster that’s struggled to stay healthy.
“He’s a real pro for a young kid. He’s in there working on his craft every day, one of the first ones to the rink. Always working on his game. [He] finds some traction here and then has another injury,… Cassidy said. “But part of the game is you have to be resilient. It’s serious enough he’s going to miss some time, but I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near a season ender. So he’ll get his chance hopefully down the road again. But I do feel for him. He’s a good young kid that deserves a break.…
Up next
The Bruins will have a Wednesday Night Rivalry head-to-head with the Lightning. The biggest question: Who gets the call in net? As much as I’d like to absolve Rask of any blame here (and I still think you should) and throw him back in there, I think you gotta go back to Khudobin.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.