There was some hope that Tuukka Rask would return to practice following the All-Star break, beginning the process of getting back on track and getting back to the level of play we’ve come to know with Rask.
Instead, the picture is not any clearer than it was last when we last saw the Bruins in a win over the Seattle Kraken last week.
“He [Rask] won’t be practicing this week, so we’ll update it at the end of the week or early next week,… Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s where he’s at right now and we’ll see how it goes from there.…
We have not seen Rask since Jan. 24, a forgettable night that saw Rask allow five goals on 27 shots. He was scheduled to start four nights later in Arizona but was a late scratch and has not dressed since.
At 34 years old and coming off surgery in the off-season to repair a hip issue, how long Rask needs to recover from this setback and where he’s at both physically and mentally when and if he does return could go in many different directions.
Given his performance in his brief return, what he is recovering from and his age, the possibility we’ve seen the last of Rask is a very real possibility.
“That’ll be his call, obviously. He’s the one kind of fighting through some body issues for his age with the comeback,… Cassidy said. “We’ll see how it turns out.…
The road to the end of the Bruins regular season is going to be a grind, a lot of hockey left to play. The Bruins playing essentially every other night from here on out is not an ideal situation for Rask, given his age and all that has occurred in the last six-plus months.
The Bruins are not at desperate as they may have been in years past. Linus Ullmark has played very well of late and as we’ve seen, rookie Jeremy Swayman is more than capable of handling whatever is thrown his way.
In other words, Rask needs the Bruins more than the Bruins need him.
The Bruins return to action Tuesday, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. They’ll play three times in five nights. Both Swayman and Ullmark will be used, Swayman starting on Tuesday.
Swayman is coming off a brief, but productive stint back in the AHL.
"I think it was more of an opportunity to get better mentally, physically, working on my game. “I don't want to make it a negative thing at all,… said Swayman.
“I think there's a lot of positives that came out of it. I think going down there and getting the playing time and seeing plays develop more, I was making saves that I might not have made a week or two before I got sent down. Just because I've learned and got the games under my belt. I think the more games the better, the more experience the better and it's all a positive.…
With Rask out of the picture for the next week or so, likely longer, Ullmark and Swayman will once again lead the way in net for the Bruins. With Ullmark finally finding his way, and Swayman excited by the opportunity to be back with the Bruins again, that’s not a bad thing.