Their season hanging in the balance, the Bruins will turn to Tuukka Rask in net for Game 6 against New York, with the veteran netminder tasked with stemming the tide of a surging Isles club in their own building and extending Boston’s 2021 campaign for at least a few more days.
“He’s ready to go, so that’s it, it’s that simple,” Bruce Cassidy said of Rask on Wednesday morning. “He’s our starting goalie. He’s healthy and ready to go. Let’s hope he’s on tonight, and we’re better in front of him than Game 5.”
Sticking with the guy in net that got you to this point in the postseason — he of a .935 save percentage before everything split at the seams in Game 5 — would seem like a no-brainer in just about any situation, regardless of whether Cassidy’s club had its back against the wall in a best-of-seven series.
But Rask’s standing as the club’s No. 1 netminder was shrouded in doubt following Monday’s disheartening Game 5 loss, in which an ailing Rask was pulled in favor of Jeremy Swayman ahead of the third period of play.
As expected, Rask’s health and his ability to operate at a high level with an ailment that has plagued him since March has hovered over this Bruins’ season like a dark cloud, culminating in the less-than-enviable position Cassidy found himself in ahead of Wednesday’s matchup, in which Rask’s status for the potential deciding game was in question.
But despite the optics of Rask being unable to finish Monday’s contest — Cassidy is sticking to his guns when it comes to rolling with Boston’s veteran in net.
“He said he felt coming better out of that game than he did during it and figured he was ready to go, so it’s his net,” Cassidy said. “He woke up this morning, got his work in like everybody else. Sometimes he goes out early, sometimes he goes out with the group. We’ve kind of let him dictate that.
“He’s been in the league a long time. He knows what he needs to do to get ready. So him and (goalie coach Bob Essensa) do their work, and he stayed out a little longer. Like I said, that’s on him, especially this time of year. We have plenty of goaltenders to get in the net (for practice). Do what you gotta do to get ready.”
Is there risk involved with placing your bets on a netminder in Rask who is clearly not at 100 percent? No doubt — especially considering that he is once again set to be the last line of defense with a woefully shorthanded blue line and PK unit in front of him.
But c'mon, Rask is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t in this scenario anyway. If he doesn’t play, he’s not dependable. If he does play and lets in another 3-4 goals? Another letdown performance.
Of course, neither discourse is surprising at this point — for heavy is the head that dons a goalie mask in Boston.
The only way for Rask to emerge unscathed is to gut through it and win — a tough ask, given the state of Boston’s defense.
But considering how much Boston’s defensive structure — especially at the netfront — has crumbled following injuries to Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller, is … rolling out a rookie like Swayman in a hostile building with a sub-par defense in front of him really going to do you much better?
Swayman has a very bright future, and he could be in line for a significant bump up in reps in 2022. But for as appealing as the Jordan Binnington storylines can be when it comes to a rookie goalie swooping in as a playoff hero — you also run the risk of the promising youngster capping a great first pro campaign by getting lit up by the likes of Mat Barzal and Kyle Palmieri at his doorstep.
Regardless of who’s in net, the Bruins have the odds stacked against them in this one — but if you’re looking at who gives this team the best chance to win, it’s the guy they’ve turned to time and time again.
Perhaps the Bruins and Rask still have some magic left in this Cup run. Or perhaps it’s too late for this promising roster, and the B’s go down with the ship with their No. 1 goalie in net.
Whichever fate is in store for Boston, having Rask be the man in net is the right call.
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Elsewhere in the Bruins’ lineup, Jake DeBrusk will return to the ice and play on a third line with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. DeBrusk, who was benched for Game 5 in favor of Kuhlman, should benefit from slotting back in at his natural spot at left wing.
While he’s logged plenty of reps on his weak side this season, it’s night-and-day for the winger when he’s back at LW and no longer forced to play pucks on his backhand so often — with his two tallies this postseason against Washington coming while at left wing.
“The message is help us win, it’s that simple. Help us win the game,” Cassidy said of the message to DeBrusk ahead of Game 6. “Shift-to-shift, the puck might find him a lot, so it might involve scoring, it might never find him all night, but then he’s got to help keep the puck out of our net and do a good job backchecking and on the defensive side of the puck. Play the game in front of you and help the team win.”
With DeBrusk taking the 3LW spot, Nick Ritchie will slot down to the fourth line — with Sean Kuraly moving over to the center spot in place of Curtis Lazar, who will miss Game 6 due to a lower-body injury.
Here is Boston’s projected lineup for Game 6:
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Hall-Krejci-Smith
DeBrusk-Coyle-Kuhlman
Ritchie-Kuraly-Wagner
Grzelcyk-McAvoy
Reilly-Lauzon
Tinordi-Clifton
Rask
