Tuukka Rask has given Boston Bruins fans hope in the second half of the season, with a .924 save percentage that’s helped them to remain competitive. His arrival from Finland have also put pressure on Anton Khudobin and allowed backup netminder Malcolm Subban time to develop his game.
Here’s how it goes:
You’re at work, slaving hard for your superiors and doing your finest work. In the corner is the individual who has worked for you for the last 12 years. Someone who, according to statistics, did a better job than anybody else in your company’s history.
He doesn’t have a contract, and he’s not even sure whether he’ll be able to work again. However, he’s sitting there, doing the same activities as you. Your superiors are publicly discussing preparations to reintroduce him. You nod at the man, and he nods back, both of you knowing that the seat underneath you is just being kept warm for him.
Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins have been in this situation for almost a month. Tuukka Rask, the 34-year-old club leader in wins and an unrestricted free agent, has been practicing with the Bruins in recent weeks as he recovers from surgery in late July to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.
On Dec. 6, while Ullmark was in the NHL COVID-19 procedures, he served as the Bruins’ emergency backup goalkeeper. It was a little like the current stars in Broadway’s “Wicked” learning that Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were hanging around backstage in case they twisted an ankle.
Boston is 17-10-2 (36 points), clinging to the Eastern Conference’s last wild-card playoff place. Can Rask’s comeback not only keep the Bruins in the playoffs, but also make them Stanley Cup contenders?
2 Related
Rask has signed a professional tryout deal with the Bruins and will play a few games with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. If everything goes as planned, he’ll return to Boston on a fresh deal that won’t disrupt the team’s payroll structure. Rask famously quipped that he’d play in Boston for $250,000 and “loads of Bud Light,” but the cap ramifications for the latter are still unknown.
After a Rask practice last week, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy observed, “He definitely looks the part out there right now.” “With surgery, you never know how things will turn out. He went through it and put in the effort. He’s certainly serious about it and wants to get back on his feet as soon as possible.”
While everything seems predetermined, Rask’s return wasn’t always certain. According to one NHL insider, the Bruins signed Ullmark to a four-year free-agent deal “in case Tuukka never came back.” But the former Buffalo Sabres goaltender was also insurance in case Swayman didn’t turn out to be all the Bruins had hoped for. Last season, the 23-year-old went 7-3-0 with a.945 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average. In ten games, he stopped ten goals more than projected — but it was just ten games.
Would Rask be a better fit than the present pairing? Yes, according to the figures.
Vote for the captains of each division’s squad for the NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas in 2022. Fans may vote up to ten times each day on NHL.com and via the NHL app.
It’s a sign that these goalies aren’t making the “huge saves” that Boston requires. To elucidate, Ullmark ranks 32nd in goals saved above average when the score is tied, whereas Swayman is 47th. Rask finished fourth in that category last season.
Rask will assist if he is in good health. Even if that means the Bruins will have a congested crease. Inquire of the Rangers about their experience with three goalies…
The Bruins, of course, have a few of options for making their goaltender hydra a two-headed monster. The first is the taxi squad, which will accompany the team at least until the NHL All-Star break. Then there’s the matter of Swayman’s contract. He is exempt from waivers since he is in the second year of his entry-level contract. They may send him to the AHL’s Providence to gain some repetitions while Rask and Ullmark take over the NHL crease.
This isn’t great from a financial standpoint for Swayman. His starting pay would be reduced from $925,000 to $70,000. From a competitive standpoint, you can’t control what you can’t control, and unfortunately, he’s signed a deal that allows the Bruins to do just that. So keep your chin up, stop the pucks, and know that you’re still the future in the crease, all while remembering that a 34-year-old with a surgically repaired hip isn’t guaranteed to stay in an NHL roster.
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Taylor Hall could theoretically be the Bruins’ Artemi Panarin: a winger capable of driving a line himself, regardless of the center. At 5-on-5, he’s averaging 1.59 points per 60 minutes, but his shooting percentage ranks 19th on the squad (3.5 percent ).
With due respect to the goaltender selection, this gets us to the make-or-break component of this Bruins team: shooting the puck.
At 6.67 percent, Boston is 28th in the NHL in 5-on-5 shooting percentage. It would be the team’s lowest even-strength shooting % since the 2009-10 season if this continued through 82 games. This Bruins club had the greatest anticipated goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.58), but only the fifth-highest goals per game of any Boston team in the last decade (2.42).
Improving to the mean in shooting % would put the Bruins in a far better position than 18th in goals per game. Shooting percentages might be unpredictable, but they can also be a result of roster formation. Is the offensive depth of the Bruins sufficient to shoot 7.61 percent, which was their previous three-season average?
Rask’s comeback does not solve the Bruins’ roster’s underlying issues. It only alters the atmosphere. He looks like he belongs in a better period. He’s a comfort blanket for me when I’m worried. It’s like a band bringing back their original drummer; he may not be able to get them back to the top of the charts, but he knows the beats.
Rask has said that he only wants to play in Boston. If that changed, he’d be much sought after by other clubs (hey, Edmonton! ), but it’s unlikely. He’s a Bruin now, then, and always. For his workstation, they won’t even need to build a new nameplate.
Foul of the Week in Jersey
Fans of the New York Islanders have seen the following this season:
@wyshynski Is this considered a Jersey Foul or is it just standard practice when buying from Fanatics? https://t.co/xbDD36KTVW
January 5, 2022 (@ImaJonesing)
This is rather hazy terrain. Obviously, a fan cannot be held liable for a manufacturing fault. But, on the other hand… maybe don’t wear it? Unless you want to be continuously explaining what occurred and that you’re aware Mathew Barzal hasn’t unretired Billy Smith’s number in the hallways of UBS Arena.
There are three things to know about the Winter Classic.
1. I’ve heard the NHL is satisfied with the ratings for the 2022 Winter Classic, which will feature a battle between two Central Division clubs and will compete against a great Rose Bowl that attracted a high of 19.7 million viewers, despite the transition to cable. My belief on the popularity of the outdoor games is that, although historic sites might be appealing, nothing equals a struggle against the weather. The strongest buildup to the Winter Classic was the numerous days of speculation about negative-10-degree weather in Minnesota during the game. You have to see it for yourself when you hear it’s going to be so cold that the NHL will have to heat the ice.
2. My favorite trend in outdoor games is:
This weather is ideal for going to the beach. #stlblues #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/FDTJ56iesP #stlblues #WinterClassic
January 1, 2022 — St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues)
With their 1980s ski movie villain costumes in Lake Tahoe, I’m going to give the Boston Bruins some credit for this. The St. Louis Blues, on the other hand, took off-beat outdoor game attire to a new level with their “Beach Blues” uniforms. The beachwear wasn’t their first choice for the 2022 Winter Classic, which is my favorite piece of knowledge.
Goalie Jordan Binnington told the Blues’ website, “I actually purchased 30 lumberjack shirts two days before to going.” “And then the following day, we arrived to the rink and said, ‘Yeah, we’re not sure if [lumberjacks] is it,’ so we went back on it.’” They made a smart decision.
3. Something else I adored:
Not only did they skate out to a Prince song, but they also utilized Purple Rain backlighting from First Avenue for the player intros… #WinterClassic *Chef’s Kiss* pic.twitter.com/Mo5lAtlZjf
January 2, 2022 — Josh Hill (@jdavhill)
Steve Mayer, the NHL’s chief content officer, and his crew are always outstanding at theming the environment surrounding the arena to the venue of the outdoor games. We had lumberjacks cutting wood in Minnesota, as well as a log cabin from which the Minnesota Wild emerged for the player intros. Sure, Wild forward Ryan Hartman fell during his morning skate, but as anybody who’s ever spent time in a Minnesota cabin knows, that’s a natural part of the experience.
The week’s winners and losses
3-on-3 OT winner
CALE MAKAR, GET OUT OF HERE.
This is a stunning OT victory from @trulyseltzer. pic.twitter.com/PKMYScavXE
5 January 2022 — NHL (@NHL)
We’ve already discussed some of the nagging worries about 3-on-3 overtime and how the coaches are ruining the game. Cale Makar’s goal on Tuesday night, though, encapsulated all that the extra session is good for.
A brilliant player was given time and space to work his magic. How about Nathan MacKinnon’s little pick play, which resulted in an instant classic goal? — and against defenders, rather than attempting a shootout with no defenders on the ice. Above all, the unpredictable nature of the moment, as opposed to a repetitive procession of penalty shots after overtime is complete. There is yet hope for the gimmick!
The remainder of the Norris field is a loser.
On Friday, our new NHL Awards Watch will be out, and we’ll know which way the Norris Trophy voters are leaning. Makar, on the other hand, suddenly has three things working in his favor: a league-leading points-per-game average (1.12), a goal-of-the-year calling card, and the possibility to win the award for the first time, which appeals to voters.
Canadians came out on top.
The NHL has begun to switch games between Canadian and American clubs, deferring games in Canada until later in the season, when they may be played in front of bigger audiences than are now permitted under provincial COVID-19 rules. There’s a clear financial motivation for the league and the clubs involved, and it should ideally result in more fans seeing these games and more players playing them in loud environments.
Fans of the Flames are losers.
Only having to worry about the destiny of your beloved team when relocation speculation eventually heats up is worse than seeing a billionaire and a large city government posturing over the burning remnants of a failed real estate venture. All of this is now available to Calgary fans.
Mikko Koskinen was the winner.
The Edmonton Oilers goaltender’s daring has to be admired. “I have to be better,” he said to the Finnish media after coach Dave Tippett chastised his performance and criticized the team’s offensive efforts: “But at the same time, we scored seven goals in my past six defeats…. I can’t score goals.” You have to credit it to a goaltender with a 3.19 goals-against average calling out his teammates who average 3.26 goals per game. (Then watch him fumble the ball to the other team.)
Dave Tippett is the loser.
After the uproar, Tippett had to explain his remarks regarding Koskinen, a goalkeeper whose terrible contract predates him in Edmonton. The Oilers have gone 2-6-2 in their last ten games, are missing key players due to injury and COVID-19 regulations, and are three points behind Bruce Boudreau’s Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Tippett has to deal with the growing expectation that GM Ken Holland and the Hockey Canada men in charge of the squad would turn to Mike Babcock to address the problem.
Nadia Popovici was the winner.
I’m not sure what more to say about this hero. The Kraken and the Canucks awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the Seattle fan who informed Vancouver equipment manager Brian Hamilton to a malignant mole on his neck. Here’s a link to her SportsNation interview. In every way, this is a game-winner, and it’s one of those moments that makes you glad to be a hockey fan.
Headlines by Puck
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Summer Olympic hockey’s advantages and disadvantages. It’s incredible that the same people who ignore the Stanley Cup Final as the weather warms up believe that high-level hockey belongs in an event that happens even later in the summer — and one that has roughly a dozen events that are immediately more popular than hockey, including NBA players competing in the basketball tournament.
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On the journey home from the world juniors, the Russian, Czech, and Finnish teams are arguing who was more inebriated. “We went out and bought a classic frothy drink.”
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Alex Sinatra, the new leader of the Premier Hockey Federation players’ association, is profiled in this article. “It’s fantastic that they have a job and an income, but they want the contract to be a bit more player-friendly, and they truly want a living wage, just like any professional athlete.”
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Is the NHL willing to send a club to Quebec City, or does it consider the city to be a part of the Montreal market?
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The Arizona hockey community sends a bittersweet goodbye to Matt Shott.
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What is the best course of action for the Nashville Predators with Filip Forsberg?
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What does Kris Letang’s future hold for the Pittsburgh Penguins? “To be honest, I’m not thinking about it right now.”
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Shayna Goldman has a fantastic article on the greatest goal scorers in 2021. “Over the past year, no one has had as many tip-ins or deflections as Chris Kreider’s 18.”
From your ESPN buddies
My conversation with Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis on a dismal season, a particularly terrible goaltender, and what it means for the franchise’s future.
