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With Anton Khudobin's hot streak seemingly done after a 10-of-14 showing in Monday's loss to the Predators, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that it'll be Tuukka Rask in the crease for Thursday's head-to-head with the visiting Coyotes.
This was probably always going to be the case given Rask’s recent run, as Rask appears to be on his first hot run of the season, with a two-game winning streak and stops on all but two of the 49 shots faced in those starts. But it was only bolstered by Rask's ability to shine in relief of Khudobin on Monday, with 10 saves on 11 shots against in a 33-minute outing.
Cassidy’s decision also shows that he’s committed to riding Rask for as long as he can (this will be Rask’s fourth start in the last five games), and that his continued success is more important to the team than giving Khudobin another kick at the can to get his own game back to where it needs to be and/or was at last month.
It’s also worth noting that the 30-year-old Rask has a 9-1-0 record, .941 save percentage, and one shutout in 10 career starts against the Coyotes.
Rask has a 5-8-2 record and .906 save percentage this season.
Krug, Spooner miss practice
The Bruins rolled through Wednesday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena without two of their biggest power-play weapons, as both defenseman Torey Krug and forward Ryan Spooner could not be found on the ice for the hour-long session.
“Krug’s a maintenance day, and Spooner [is] lower-body that we’re looking at [and] reevaluating,… Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the skate in Brighton. “[Spooner]’s been fighting through, so we’ll see how he is tomorrow.…
With the other pairings remaining intact (Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy on pairing one and Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller on pairing three), it was Paul Postma that saw time in Krug’s spot on Wednesday, skating to the left of Brandon Carlo.
Second among B’s defenders in points this year (his 14 put him just one behind Charlie McAvoy for the team lead), Krug missed three games late last month with an upper-body injury, but is expected to be able to play against the Coyotes tomorrow.
The 25-year-old Spooner, meanwhile, appears to have suffered an injury similar to the groin issue that put him on the shelf for 14 games earlier this season.
“It’s similar,… Cassidy admitted when asked if the injuries are related. “So, at the end of the day, we chose to keep him off. We’ll see how he is [tomorrow] and go from there.…
Skating mainly on the wing, Spooner has been a worthwhile contributor since his return, with one goal and two helpers, along with five shots on goal, in five games.
If Spooner is unable to go, either Frank Vatrano or Jake DeBrusk figures to slot in on the left side of David Krejci’s line. Vatrano has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, while DeBrusk has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury.
The belief is that a healthy DeBrusk, who participated in Wednesday’s skate and skated on the Krejci line, will get the nod over Vatrano. But both DeBrusk and the Bruins will have a better picture as to his availability after tomorrow’s morning skate.
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.