TAMPA — The Bruins do not need All-World goaltending from Tuukka Rask. Teams are rewarded in the playoffs for surviving, so whether Rask makes 20 or 40 saves is less meaningful than how he responds in high-impact moments.
Bruce Cassidy needed Rask to be better than the opposing goaltender, and he certainly outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy in the Bruins 6-2 victory in Game 1 against the Lightning on Saturday afternoon, even when an equipment mishap could have derailed his game.
Rask, who struggled at times against the Maple Leafs in the first round, stopped 34 of 36 shots. More importantly, he kept his composure when his skate blade unexpectedly dislodged from the boot and Mikhail Sergachev scored to cut the score to 3-2 in the second period.
MIKHAIL SERGACHEV BURIES THE WRISTER FOR A POWER PLAY GOAL! ALL WHILE RASK'S SKATE BLADE WAS OFF! I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE!#NHLBruins 3 - 2 #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/sZIB8CirbR
— NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) April 28, 2018