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Haggs: Boston Bruins Rask ‘Not Good Enough’ In Return |BHN+

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Boston Bruins

BOSTON – Let’s not pull any punches here when it comes to the Boston Bruins.

Tuukka Rask has been, at best, rusty and at worst downright dreadful between the pipes in his return to the B’s after COVID wiped out a pair of scheduled tune-up starts with the Providence Bruins prior to signing a one-year contract with Boston.

Normally these kinks are worked out in the preseason or in the first few weeks of a regular season with many miles to go, but Rask’s midseason stumble into the regular season has stirred up an uncomfortable situation for the Black and Gold. Rask was undeniably rusty, off his angles and played way too much on his knees pushing around the crease as the Ducks simply elevated shots in a 5-3 Anaheim win over the Bruins at TD Garden on Monday night.

In all, Rask is 2-2-0 with a 4.28 goals against average and an .844 save percentage and has allowed 12 goals on 62 shots (.806 save percentage) in his previous three starts including Monday night’s rough outing and a blowout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes where he was pulled after the first period. To make matters worse, Boston Bruins fans were chanting “We Want Swayman” in the third period after Rask allowed his fifth goal of the game that essentially removed any chance Boston had of salvaging points in a sloppy defensive effort all-around.

The Boston Bruins weren’t under any illusions about what they were watching postgame and instead preached patience that it may take a few weeks before Rask snaps into his normal rhythm. Obviously, that becomes more difficult when the B’s are in the thick of a playoff push while trying to push past the Toronto Maple Leafs in the standings.

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