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A week after he was leveled by teammate Anders Bjork in practice, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask returned to the ice for his first full practice on Tuesday in an effort to return from a concussion that’s kept him out of the Black and Gold’s last two games.
And while the Bruins are taking it slow with their $7 million goaltender, Tuesday’s practice showed that the 30-year-old Rask is trending in the right direction.
“They didn’t want me to do contact today, whatever that means for a goalie. Like I stayed out of the last couple of drills,… Rask said. “But I didn’t feel hesitant. You can’t go out there and try to be too careful. Obviously the drills we did were set up in a way that it’s only shots and two-on-ones, so the chances of being run over are slim.…
Even so, Rask seems to be in a good spot in terms of his recovery from what he considered to be the first concussion of his playing career.
“Luckily I didn’t lose consciousness or anything, so I think that helps,… Rask said of the concussion. “And the doctors say that generally, if you haven’t had too many of those and then it happens in your older age, you tend to bounce back quicker. First two days was a little foggy, but then I turned the corner pretty quickly.…
And though he remains in the league’s concussion protocol, and with another step to go before he’s officially cleared to rejoin the team, the Bruins seem to believe that Thursday, which was once considered an unlikely return date, could be possible.
“He made it through practice, so there’s a possibility [he plays] Thursday, so that’s good news,… Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after practice.
“Tomorrow will be a full tilt, and we’ll see,… Rask offered.
The Bruins square off with the Sharks on Thursday night.
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.