Five reasons Tuukka Rask is making history

Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will get the nod against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at TD Garden. It will be his 34th game (33rd start) this season and he's in the midst of a career-best 19-game personal point streak with a 17-0-2 record. It's the fourth-longest streak by a goalie in franchise history behind Gerry Cheevers (32 games in 1971-72), Pete Peters (31 games in 1982-83) and Frank Brimsek (23 games in 1940-41).

Rask has a 1.62 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and two shutouts in his last 20 games. It's a completely different comparison from the start of the season when he began 3-8-2. His last regulation loss came on Nov. 26 against the Edmonton Oilers.

During Rask's streak, he's been playing like he did when he won the Vezina Trophy in 2013-14. There's plenty of hockey remaining this season, but he showing zero signs of slowing down. It also helps that Rask, along with backup Anton Khudobin and goalie coach Bob Essensa are always the first ones on the ice before every practice.

Here are five reasons behind Rask's transformation. 

Tweaking: Rask has made a few minor adjustments during the course of the season. The biggest one has been with his stance. When he was struggling earlier in the season, he wasn't as sharp on his edges, going post-to-post. He also wasn't reading the play as well and those are two of his strengths. He's cleaned up those areas and has been much more patient.

Timing: When timing is spot on, it also helps a goalie's confidence. Because he's made those adjustments with his stance and patience, his timing has been much better. That also helps his tracking and puck retention.

Tracking: When the puck is hitting Rask in the logo, it's a true indication that he's tracking the puck well. He's been putting himself in better positions to make the save, and even though many aren't highlight-reel stops, that means he's doing his job well. The last thing a goalie wants to do is slide into a save. He wants to be square to the puck and make it look easy, which is exactly what he's been doing the last two months.

Puck retention: His ability to keep the puck away from the opposition has been off the charts. During the summer, Rask, Bruce Cassidy and Essensa talked about the goalie playing the puck more often than he had in the past. It would help the Bruins' breakout, and it wouldn't allow the opposition to create a sustained forcheck. He's a lot more comfortable in this area this season. He's even poke-checked the puck a few times, which was never in his arsenal. Rask has always been strong at controlling his rebounds. Of late, he's been able to steer the puck into open areas, which has allowed the Bruins to gain control in the defensive zone and quickly transition.

Team effort: Rask is a product of the team in front of him. When the Bruins are playing solid team defense, it helps him mentally. Boston has been a lot cleaner in front of him.

"A lot of it is team play like how your team plays in front of you. Lately, goalies, we haven’t had to stand on our heads and play unbelievable games to keep us in it; our team is playing great hockey offensively, defensively and all around," Rask said. "I think it helps everybody. Everybody feels more confident and everybody is trying to pick each other up all the time and we’re no different. We try to be there when the time comes and we have to make those saves and that’s it."

In order for a team to win the Stanley Cup, goaltending is key. Recently, the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Murray, Corey Crawford, Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas all led their respective teams to a Stanley Cup. Rask helped the Bruins reach the finals in 2013 before losing to the Blackhawks. He's won a Vezina, but there's one thing that has eluded him and maybe this could be the season he finally wins.