Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask could've lost Wednesday night's game against the Rangers because of a crazy mistake, but fortunately for him, New York wasn't able to take advantage.
Rask started to skate toward the B's bench with about a minute left in the third period, to the surprise of his teammates and everyone else watching at home. The score was tied at two goals apiece and there wasn't a delayed penalty.
The veteran goalie eventually made his way back to the Bruins' net. The Bruins had the puck the entire time, so the Rangers didn't have a chance to make Rask pay for his mistake.
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Rask poked some fun at himself when asked about the situation after the Bruins emerged with a 3-2 overtime win at Madison Square Garden.
“I just had to tell something to Jaro (Halak) real quick,” Rask said, clearly joking. "No, I honestly thought we were down, 2-1. That’s it. I thought we were down 2-1. I was waiting for (coach Bruce Cassidy) to wave me over there. I was like, ‘Why the heck is he not.' There was like a minute and a half left. He's not waving to me. And then I decided to come when we had the puck. And Chucky (Charlie McAvoy) told me, ‘Buddy, it’s 2-2.'"
Did Rask panic when he realized his mistake and that the score actually was even?
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“Well, I think we had the puck. I wasn’t panicking at all. I was more laughing, actually," Rask admitted. "But hey, it’s the entertainment industry, I guess. That's what we try to provide: Entertainment for the fans. I'm sure people were shocked at first, but hopefully they got a good laugh out of that. I sure did."
It's easy to laugh now. The Bruins went to overtime and Brad Marchand scored the game-winner, extending Boston's point streak to nine games (8-0-1).
The Bruins now sit atop the East division with 20 points (9-1-2) through 12 games. Rask has won six of his eight starts.