Rask aims to stay fresh for Bruins throughout season with Halak as backup

MIDDLETON, Mass. -- Tuukka Rask knows his sweet spot is when he plays in the 50-game range.

But the Boston Bruins' No. 1 goalie knows that necessitates a reliable backup, which the Bruins had in Anton Khudobin the past two seasons. It's something they hope to replicate this season after signing Jaroslav Halak to a two-year, $5.5 million contract July 1.
It's what Rask is hoping for too. He knows how crucial the position is.
"I think it gives you a little benefit mentally that you know you're not going to play 15 games in a row and expend the energy early on in the season," Rask said Monday. "That helps mentally. But then again, you have to be worth the playing time; you have to deserve every minute you get. That doesn't change. You still have to work and be worth the trust."

Rask played 54 games last season, the first time he played fewer than 60 since 2013-2014, when he won the Vezina Trophy. That season, with Chad Johnson as his backup, Rask had a 2.04 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 58 games.
He has not approached those numbers in the four seasons since then. But Rask was able to get more rest last season with Khudobin playing behind him and finished with a 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage. He had a 21-game point streak that began Nov. 29, 2017, and ended Feb. 10.
Rask started the season slowly (3-7-2, 2.89 GAA, .897 save percentage through his first 12 games), and the Bruins started Khudobin against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 18. It underlined how crucial the backup's performance and presence was.
"I think last year was the first year when we set up a plan and we stuck with it," said Rask, who was playing at former teammate Shawn Thornton's charity golf tournament, along with Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. "I think that benefitted everybody because the finish of the year was disappointing, but having the meetings and talking to the coaches and managers, I felt fresh and I had a lot of energy left in me. So I think that was a great sign."
That's what the Bruins want with Halak, both in terms of pushing Rask and protection for them.
In 449 NHL games, Halak has a 2.50 GAA and .916 save percentage, but he had a 3.19 GAA and .908 save percentage last season in 54 games for the New York Islanders. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney in part blamed Halak's numbers on the Islanders' penalty kill, which ranked worst in the NHL (73.2 percent).

When the Bruins signed Halak, Sweeney said, "I just don't think you can win in this league without having a complement each and every night. You can't get to where you want to get to. We backed off Tuukka's game last year, it worked out very well."
Though the Bruins intended to re-sign Khudobin, the price became too high. He signed with the Dallas Stars, and the Bruins gave Halak $2.75 million per season, given his higher ceiling.
"Every year we start from zero and I think the goal for every team is to have two good goaltenders and see how it plays out," Rask said. "Spread out the playing time between both of them and then hope that going into the playoffs, everybody's fresh and ready to go. I think it's great that your team has the luxury to have two good goaltenders."