Rask/By S. Bradley
Stop thinking about Tuukka Rask’s confidence as though it’s some sort of Fabergé egg in the hands of the Tasmanian Devil.
Sure, Bruins head coach Claude Julien’s decision to pull
the second-year goaltender after one period tonight in Buffalo was
a tad controversial, considering Rask hadn’t played since Dec. 15
and the Bruins were still in the lead, 4-3. But if you think Rask
is suddenly going to curl up in the corner and forget how to play
his position just because his coach kept him on a short leash in a
game the Bruins still lost, 7-6, in a shootout, you haven’t been
following the 23-year-old’s career and his history of bouncing
back. I find it hilarious that the same masses that wanted Julien
and the Bruins’ brass to hold players more accountable now seem to
be ready to riot over the decision to yank Rask. Let’s face it, the
kid wasn’t ready to play tonight. That he was burned by Jason
Pominville’s backhander 2:06 into the game wasn’t the surest sign
Rask wasn’t prepared. It was the fact that the sequence leading up
to that score started with Rask strolling out of his crease and
turning a routine dump-in into a Buffalo scoring chance that
required Zdeno Chara to make a save on Thomas Vanek’s shot to the
front. Rask was out of his crease again later in the period on a
play that didn’t result in a Buffalo goal. But Drew Stafford’s
first of three goals on the night scored from below the goal line
off Rask and in through the short side sealed the goaltender’s
fate. That he wasn’t ready for the shot, and didn’t react quick
enough to cover it after it hit him, proved that all his hard work
in practice the last couple weeks did little to ready him for
tonight. And so the coach, who earlier this week benched two of his
stars – Marc Savard and Nathan Horton – for a large chunk of the
third period in a win at Tampa, and has his team in first place in the division with games in hand, made another decision he thought
would give his team the best chance to win. Had Tim Thomas played
even half as well tonight as he has through the season’s first
three months, Boston would’ve left HSBC Arena with two points and
the quick hook would’ve looked like a stroke of genius. Now to be
in a tizzy about Julien not having confidence in Rask or Rask now
becoming a shell of his former self because of tonight’s happenings
is a ridiculous overreaction. The 16 days between games played for
Rask might’ve been a little extreme in terms of rest, but as a pro
in the world’s greatest hockey league Rask has to be ready to go
when he gets the nod. He can now file this game away along with
every other learning experience he has collected over the last
several years. Remember, Rask played in the men’s league as a
teenager in Finland. He came over to North America and the Bruins
made it clear he would get seasoning in the AHL before they’d turn
to him as an NHL goaltender. His great rookie season with the
Providence farm club ended in disappointment, in large part because
he struggled in a second-round playoff series. He came back the
next year and put up better numbers and took the P-Bruins one round
deeper into the postseason. Although it’s tough to reflect on, Rask
was the starting goaltender for one of the worst playoff collapses
in sports history last spring. He didn’t retire or do anything
drastic to himself after having a hand in the Bruins dropping that
3-0 series lead to Philadelphia. He came back to Boston this season
ready to make his sophomore year a success. If you throw out
tonight and opening night, his numbers in limited action are
evidence he is still a great goaltender. Tim Thomas is in the midst
of a season even some Hall-of-Fame goaltenders wouldn’t dare dream
about. That’s why Julien has ridden him so much the last few weeks
and why he went to the veteran when he could feel that Rask wasn’t
up to par tonight. But Julien knows he’s going to need both
goaltenders over the next few months and Rask knows that too.
Hopefully, he’ll look back at tonight and figure out what
adjustments to make in his game to be more ready to pick up where
he left off, even if there are a couple weeks between his starts.
History has shown that adversity has been no match for Rask’s
talents. One benching from the coach isn’t going to change
that.
[...] 36 saves on 37 shots, including a perfect 18 of 18 in the third period, Rask indeed showed that Julien’s decision Saturday was nothing more than a bump along the road… than an immovable road block. There’s no reason for Rask’s confidence level to be low [...]
Man Matt you called this big win for Tuukka!
i think they need to start worrying from the start about getting Thomas the appropriate amount of rest and getting Rask the appropriate amount of work in case he is needed on a long-term basis this season (Thomas injury, cold streak, what have you). They are failing on both accounts in my opinion. There were plenty of chances for them to put Rask in over the last month before an important road game in Buffalo. Ducks and FLA come to mind. He won’t build confidence not playing, in my opinion. The Minny game is perfect for Rask
You can’t claim to have the best goal tending “tandem” in the league and only start the second guy 25% of the time. I know Timmy is having a career year but we will need both of them if the B’s are to get deeper into the playoffs than the past few years. Tuukka should have been sat during the series against the Flyers but didn’t…why? …because Timmy was rusty and Claude had no confidence…had Timmy played a game or 2 against Buffalo, we would have been in a better position against Philly when Tuukka started to flounder. Instead, Claude let Tuukka go down with the ship but wouldn’t the other night against the Sabres…makes no sense…Tuukka must play…win or loose if we’re to benefit from having the best 1-2 punch in the league.
“They cannot afford to overuse Thomas”
You said a mouthful MCK!
Not sure they can afford to play Rask for an in-conference game like TOR, especially with the added draft pick on the line. Better go with MIN at home. At least if they lose, they’re not handing 2 pts to someone else you need to worry about.
They then have (8) games in two weeks and Rask should get some solid starts. He’ll get 20-25 all season, which is exactly what every other team in the league does (and they don’t have the GAA and SV% leader as their #1).
Good point on getting Thomas some rest MCK, but do you think we should worry much about it at this point in the season? Either way, these are “tweaks”…and don’t seem to warrent a sky-is-falling-fire-the-coach response. Now if they happen to lose, say, a playoff series where they’re up 3-0, then maybe they should think about a coaching change. Oh wait….nevermind.
Well, I think that they should have been playing Rask a lot more. I don’t think they are ruining him, but it may be part of the explanation for why he comes out so flat in every game he starts. He needs way more starts in my opinion. Thomas is old and will get tired over the course of the long season. Rask did in last year’s playoffs.
They cannot afford to overuse Thomas
Amen to this article – thanks for being the voice of reason. We all forget that the coaches and management are in constant conversation, and one rarely does anything without consent from the other. Why do people insist on thinking that the decisions are made unilaterally? Julien would have consuled with Jarvis and Essensa last night and all three, with a bajillion times more hockey experience and expertise than all of us combined, would have seen that the best way to get 2 pts from Buffalo would be to pull Rask. What else do you want them to do?
After the game, Julien would have met with PC and evaluated each player and gameplan moving forward, like they do after every game.
Rask will be fine. Can’t we all just agree to ignore any comments about “ruining” players because they are or are not getting playing time? This isn’t peewee hockey.
Seguin on the first unit of the PP or 2nd unit would work thanks for seeing my press credentials PCL LoL!
MCK” “…He SHOULD get the next start.”
I agree 100%.
I don’t think there is a doubt that Marchand and Seguin have to get more PT going forward. Seguin is useless (only because he is young and lost a little) on the defensive side of things, but he is one of their most talented offensive players. He should be out there in scoring (read: PP) situations.
Don’t cry for Rask. He came out like he couldn’t have cared less. Hit the bench. He SHOULD get the next start, however
claude rewarded segzy and marchand with ot playing time and bergy rode the pine after his 6-5 debacle (failed to clear / lost stafford).
claude yanked timmah after giving up 3 goals against the caps. i don’t know why tuukka should get special treatment.
SanDogBrewin-
It’s time for you to find another team. Whether it is on the Globe. HFBoards and now here. You have nothing to add but the same rhetoric, time and time again. You have zero idea who is tired in that locker room, what CJ is doing to whom or what nor what is being said to JC by Neely or PC. I don’t see your press credentials and I don’t see you working for the Bruins organization.
I agree with what you are saying here MK, to a certain extent, and while I wasn’t upset at the decision to pull Rask, I was a bit surprised. You are bang on with your comments of the Claude holding players accountable, but we all know that goalies are different beasts who take a while to get back in the groove, both physically and mentally . It’s not unlike skaters shaking off the rust, except that goalies mistakes almost always end up in goals against. Rask getting pulled after the first, is akin to a skater getting benched after one period of bad play/poor decisions/wrong positioning after a long layoff; which is something that just doesn’t happen.
With that being said, I understand the decision.
On a positive note, Seguin looked good and very comfortable/confident in the offensive zone.
I agree with SanDog, that he should have been rewarded with some PP time. He definitely earned it, IMO.
I think that Horton is close to breaking out of his funk. He was buzzing the net last night with rubber, starting to get dialed in. He’ll break out of the slump w/i the next two games.
Rask got what he deserved. That said, Rask deserves to play more than once every 15 games. He should be getting at least 40% of the work. Thomas has not been that good for the last three games. Perhaps he is exhausted already
Rask is a professional hockey player that had a bad game. Its not the coach’s fault, its up to the player to be ready.
This concept that Julien is panicing is just silly. The guy gets critisized when he “rolls four lines” with no changes, now he is panicing because he makes a few changes. Maybe its about time the players answered the bell more consistently.
Julien is his own worst enemy he panics too much. He now has a tired goalie whom needed rest and another goalie who doesn’t trust him.
Julien also is too stubborn to have realized that the best one timer on the team should be on the PP that is Tyler Seguin. Julien simply does not trust rookies and this type of thinking and coaching will hurt the development of Jared Knight, Jordan Caron, Ryan Spooner, Maxime Sauve, Joe Colborne next season as it is stunting the growth of Seguin and Rask’s this season Claude just doesn’t get young fast rookies do and indeed help the slow footed veterans in Boston.
Chiarelli and Neely need to step in a to scold Julien once again because just wants to do things his way.