As expected, the always-candid Tuukka Rask wasn’t going to wax poetic about his new title as the Bruins’ all-time record holder in goaltender wins.
Reaching 253 victories in a black and gold sweater is a significant milestone, for sure. But in the grand scheme of things?
"I enjoy it. But it doesn’t change anything really, in my mind, during the season or even after the season,” Rask said. “Your name is in the history books. That's about it. And then someday, somebody else is gonna come and break it. Hopefully, I can put up a couple more and get some cushion.”
Rask isn’t one to get caught up in major milestones, both individual and across the league. Entering Sunday’s matinee matchup against the Capitals, Rask didn’t know that Alex Ovechkin was also looking to etch his name in the record books, with one more point standing between the winger and the distinction as the top Russian-born scorer in NHL history.
“I’m so happy he didn’t get it on me,” Rask said of Ovechkin. “That’s awesome. I didn’t know that. That would have been in my head if I knew that. That’s good. Not facing them again, so it’s good that he didn’t get that on me.”
For Rask, the individual records don’t factor nearly as much as wins and losses — and Sunday’s 1-0 victory came at a crucial time for a reeling B’s club.
Stuck in a rut that has seen Boston drop five of six games, the Bruins managed to right the ship against a Capitals team that had posted 14 straight wins against them dating back to 2014 — with Rask leading the way with 24 saves in a shutout performance.
“He’s played really well for us lately,” Bruce Cassidy said of his netminder. “Gives us a chance to win every night. Obviously, we’d like to give him a little more of a cushion, but we’re getting comfortable in these low-scoring games and tonight it showed and he was there for us.”
Sure enough, while Boston’s secondary-scoring woes have continued to plague the B’s for most of the season, Rask has managed to give his team a fighting chance over the past month.
Since he relinquished five goals to Carolina back on Dec. 23, Rask has been one of the top netminders in the league, posting a record of 7-0-2 with a .942 save percentage. The narrative has certainly flipped on Rask, who saw his playing time curtailed for extended stretches over the first two months of the season after a sluggish start.
By the time he took a leave of absence from the club following an 8-5 loss to the Canucks back on Nov. 8, Rask was 4-4 with a .901 save percentage. Since then, he’s 6-4-2 with a .922 save percentage.
Unlike Thursday’s OT loss to the Flyers, in which defensive breakdowns and mental slip-ups often hung Rask out to dry, Boston’s blue line more than held its own against a potent Capitals offense. By the end of 40 minutes, Washington only managed to fire 13 shots on goal against Rask.
"I thought our team defense was excellent,” Cassidy said. “Checked well, got pucks back. Through the first two periods, that led to a lot of offensive zone play which is a lot more enjoyable. In the third, they had a push — we figured they would.”
Sure enough, Washington ramped up the pressure over the final stanza — outshooting Boston, 11-8, and leading in both overall attempts (29-14) and scoring chances generated (14-3).
However, Rask did not budge, holding his own despite some extended shifts from both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom’s lines — while later robbing Travis Boyd with a quick glove save to keep the Caps off the board.
Tuukka Rask denies Travis Boyd.
18 saves so far today. pic.twitter.com/WAYqa6jxoK
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 3, 2019