Tuukka Rask joined the ranks of the goaltending elite during this shortened 2013 NHL season with consistently strong play in leading the Boston Bruins to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.
The 26-year-old star and pending RFA went 19-10-5 during the regular season with a .929 save percentage (third-best in NHL), a 2.00 GAA (fifth-best) and a league-leading five shutouts. Through nine games of the Bruins' postseason run, Rask has been just as impressive, even though his stats are a bit worse compared to the regular season (.928 save percentage, 2.32 GAA).
Rask's brilliant play in net is the main reason why Boston is two wins away from eliminating the New York Rangers from the second round and securing a place in the Eastern Conference Finals for just the second time in the last 20 years. He has allowed just four goals on 72 shots going into Game 3.
The biggest question surrounding Rask at this stage of his career is if he's capable of leading Boston to a Stanley Cup championship, which is why the comparisons to his predecessor, Tim Thomas (the Conn Smythe winner during the Bruins' 2011 Cup run), have yet to go away.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
Boston Bruins vs. NY Rangers: Is Tuukka Rask a Stanley Cup-Caliber Goalie?
May 20th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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