It would not be a travesty if Tuukka Rask falls short of the 2014 Vezina Trophy any more than if he wins it.
The surface of the Boston Bruins backstop’s season versus those of his fellow Vezina contenders may give him the look of a decisive favorite. The context of those campaigns, however, calls for New England puckheads to slow that notion down.
No rational, objective observer can question Rask’s merit as a finalist, which the NHL formally confirmed last Friday. He defied logic by posting radiant numbers on top of last year’s lengthy playoff run and short offseason.
In between, he had that Russian rendezvous in February, helping Finland to Olympic bronze. Even that excess mileage did not stop him from amassing a 2.04 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and league-best seven shutouts.
However, one can make similar claims about Boston’s other leaned-on defensive assets. Look no further than Patrice Bergeron’s nomination for the Selke Trophy and Zdeno Chara’s Norris Trophy candidacy, which was announced on NHL.com Monday morning.
Bergeron and the othe ...
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Article written by Al Daniel
Why Boston Bruins Goalie Tuukka Rask Is Not a Shoo-in for the 2014 Vezina Trophy
April 28th, 2014 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
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