Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask is having a solid season between the pipes.
He's been counted on night in and night out to give the B's a chance to win and he's done exactly that. While he certainly has his doubters, Rask has the full confidence of his team and coach Bruce Cassidy.
LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.
The Stanley Cup playoffs don't begin until early April, but Cassidy said his No. 1 goaltender is as close to playoff form as he can be right now.
“I think only he can answer that, but to my eye he looks like he’s pretty damn close to that,” Cassidy said after morning skate on Saturday, according to WEEI's Matt Kalman. “He’s on his game, he’s engaged in the game, composed. Listen, his numbers speak for themselves, puck play, he’s out there. Again I always look at that to see if he’s focused on the game. We’ve got stretches where he hasn’t had a lot of work and he’s responded well with saves, and he’s responded well with the flurries of work when he needs to be conditioned to do that. So I like where he’s at right now. I mean we’re a little ways away, but so far so good.”
Rask is 25-7-6 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage with four shutouts this season. And he hasn't just been good this season -- he's been solid through his entire NHL career. Rask's career save percentage is tied for the best in league history and is also fourth all-time in career GAA.
So, while many of his doubters will hit you with the "But he can't win a Stanley Cup," Rask has continued his remarkable consistency with only one regulation home loss this season.
The 32-year-old will more than likely play a major role in a deep playoff run come next month.