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).