Tuukka Rask opts out of Stanley Cup Playoffs

If the Bruins are going to orchestrate another run to the Stanley Cup, they’re going to have to do it without their No. 1 goaltender.

Less than two hours ahead of puck drop in Game 3 of Boston’s opening-round series against the Hurricanes, the Bruins announced that Tuukka Rask has opted out of the NHL’s Return to Play action and will not take part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Rask said in a statement: “I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family. I want to thank the Bruins and my teammates for their support and wish them success.”

Jaroslav Halak will be the B's starting netminder going forward, starting with Saturday's matchup. Dan Vladar or Max Lagace set to serve as backup for the remainder of the postseason. 

Speaking shortly after the team announcement, Don Sweeney  said that Rask's decision wasn't much of a surprise to the team — with the B's netminder struggling with being away from his family, which just welcomed a newborn a few months ago. Thankfully, Sweeney added that Rask's family is safe and healthy. 

"We understand completely where Tuukka's coming from," Sweeney said. "I don't think it's any big surprise to us, to be honest with you. We're privy to information maybe before the rest of the public is and this has been a difficult decision for Tuukka. But the Boston Bruins are in full support of the why he made this decision."

Sweeney added: "We knew this would be a mental challenge, especially players with families. In Tuukka's case, he has a newborn at home, along with two other young girls. And he just felt that he needed to be home with them at this particular time. Can't control the timeline of when the playoffs resumed, give Tuukka a hell of a lot of credit for trying to persevere through this and initiate the process to come up and be with his teammates. ...But the priorities are in the right order, and this is what he has to do at this time.

Through two games against Carolina, Rask went 1-1 with an .889 save percentage, with the B's netminder raising some concerns with his postgame comments following Thursday's Game 2 loss to the Hurricanes — noting that the current playoff atmosphere felt "dull" at times, along with the fact that he was "not stressing too much about the results and whatnot."

"I think you can rightfully infer that Tuukka was having some tough time being away in this environment," Sweeney said. "Nothing against what the NHL has put together and the intensity of the playoffs, this is playoff hockey. I mean, let's make no mistake about it, the stakes are high and the players are invested. And Tuukka, in his own right, he felt that he needed to be elsewhere, rather than being here in this current situation. He's the same goaltender that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in a game seven last year and taking a team and he'll be the same player when we get up and running again next year."

With Rask now out, the Bruins will turn to Halak, who has established himself as arguably the top backup netminder in the NHL over his two seasons in Boston. The 35-year-old veteran appeared in one of Boston's round-robin games earlier this month, surrendering four goals on 29 shots against the Flyers back on Aug. 2.

Even without their top netminder between the pipes, the Bruins should still be in good hands with Halak, who has posted a .924 save percentage over 30 postseason outings in his career. Still, this is a massive hurdle for the Bruins to overcome, starting with puck drop in Game 3 in ... well, 40 minutes.

"Jaro's a pro and I think over the last two years, we've been a hockey club that's relied on everybody," Sweeney said. "And Jaro has been a big part of that. We've split starts, we've really rarely played players back to back. Jaro is mentally and physically ready to step in and assume the role and obviously we hope that he he rises to that challenge. ... This is a time where you have to roll with whatever comes your way, and I think the players understand that, they'll be ready to go today and in support of Tuukka leaving, but also in Jaro stepping in. It's a great opportunity for Daniel or Max if they get the call. It's always been a next man up mentality and probably never more so than in this year’s playoffs."