Time and again this season, Bruce Cassidy has thrown down the gauntlet.
When he didn’t like how a player, line, defensive pairing or the overall team was performing, he wouldn’t hold back. It didn’t matter if the player on the other end was a veteran or a rookie. If the coach had conviction and believed something needed to be addressed, he would do so and the end result was usually a positive one.
Ask Torey Krug. Earlier in the season, he was benched during a crucial game. He wasn’t happy about it, but he responded with one of his better games of the season and carried that momentum for a long stretch of games.
Ask Jake DeBrusk. Too many times this season, the rookie forward was on the receiving end of an ear full. When he found himself on press level as a healthy scratch, he would respond accordingly the next game, too. Even when Cassidy gives it to DeBrusk during a game, the young forward always fixes the wrong.
The same can be said for Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork. Heck, the same can be said for every player on the roster. You get the point here: when Cassidy sends a message, it’s usually received.
So, it’ll be interesting to see how Tuukka Rask responds after getting pulled during the team’s 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 on Saturday at TD Garden. He was terrible, which is surprising given how well he played and stole Game 4 for the Bruins on Thursday at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
On Saturday, after Rask allowed four goals on 13 shots, Cassidy didn’t hesitate to give his starter the hook. Rask shouldn’t be surprised, and after the game said he agreed with the call, which would be the right thing to say given how poorly he played.
His first comment: “Could’ve stopped more pucks with my eyes closed.”
Probably correct on that statement.
“A lot of coaches would have made the same decision,” he said when asked about Cassidy’s choice to make a goalie change.
No question.
It’s not the first time Cassidy has gained Rask’s attention. After a terrible start to the season, the coach decided to go with Anton Khudobin for four consecutive games in mid-November. The backup won all four and it turned the entire season around. It served as a wakeup call for Rask and he went 30-6-3 in his last 39 games of the season. He's carried that success into this series -- until Game 5.
Rask admitted he wasn't very good.
"That’s the way it is. You play good, you kind of put it behind you; you play bad, you put it behind you," he said. "You just stay even no matter what happens. That’s hockey. Sometimes you’re awesome, sometimes you’re not."