Tuukka Rask was not the reason the Bruins lost Monday night’s Game 2. He was mostly good -- and really good early in overtime when the Islanders were completely dominating.
He probably could have done better on the Islanders’ second goal, when Kyle Palmieri was able to stuff a puck past him at the post after Rask didn’t quite get up against it in time.
The other three were a deflection off Jeremy Lauzon’s skate, a point-blank one-timer on the power play, and an overtime breakaway after a bad turnover by Lauzon.
Yet, the conversation around Rask got a little more uncomfortable Monday night, because Rask himself looked a little more uncomfortable.
At several points during Game 2, Rask appeared to get back to his feet a little slower than usual, especially after a Mathew Barzal breakaway in the second period and then the third Islanders goal from Jean-Gabriel Pageau, both of which required him to make quick later movements.
After the game, coach Bruce Cassidy brushed aside a question about Rask’s health.
“Well, he finished the game, so I assume he’s OK,” Cassidy said. “If he wasn’t, he would have told us. We have a very capable backup, so I assume he’s fine. We’ll have that discussion later. We don’t play until Thursday, so he’ll have time to rest if there is something going on.”
That said, Cassidy didn’t exactly have glowing praise for Rask, saying he didn’t think he tracked pucks as well as usual and that the Islanders were “one save better.”
“I just didn’t think he tracked pucks as well tonight,” Cassidy said. “They had more traffic around the front of the net, and they got some bounces. … As far as Tuukka goes, they finished a breakaway at the end. They were one save better than us. I mean, we were in there. [Taylor] Hall had a good second chance. [David Pastrnak] was in all alone with a nice move, had a one-timer. So we definitely had our looks in overtime. Just didn’t convert and they did. That’s how overtimes usually come to an end.”
Cassidy certainly isn’t throwing Rask under the bus there. He mentions his defense allowing the Islanders to get “more traffic.” He mentions the Islanders getting “some bounces.” He points out that the Bruins’ offense “didn’t convert” on a few good chances. But he didn’t absolve Rask of blame, either.
When you add that assessment to Rask looking a little labored at times and his recent comments on The Greg Hill Show about his health not being “as good as I’d want it to be,” you get an uncomfortable conversation about whether Rask is really at his best right now -- physically or otherwise.
And if he’s not, how far below that top gear would he have to be for the Bruins to seriously consider a switch to rookie Jeremy Swayman, whom Cassidy was referring to with his “very capable backup” comment?
Rask didn’t lose Game 2, but nor did he steal it. He had a very good stretch in the final three games of the first round and has been good overall this postseason, but he was just a tad off early in that Washington series, and now early in this one as well. He’s been healthy enough to play since returning from injury on April 15, but by his own admission, is still not where he wants to be.
Maybe an extra day off between now and Thursday’s Game 3 will be just what Rask needs to help him finish off this series the same way he finished off the Capitals. But for now, Rask looking a little uncomfortable Monday night only served to raise some uncomfortable questions.
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