Tuukka Rask's first game back with the Boston Bruins since early in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs featured a lot of action for the veteran goaltender.
Not only did he stop 20 of the 22 shots he faced through regulation and overtime, he also was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout as Boston earned a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils in its 2020-21 NHL season opener.
Rask also faced a lot of action -- too much, quite frankly -- in and around his crease all game.
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The Devils made it a point to crash the net all night, and New Jersey forward Miles Wood went over the line twice with that aggression.
Wood was called for two goalie interference penalties -- one in the first period and another in the third period -- that resulted in two power-play goals for the Bruins.
Rask was asked after the game if the Devils were making an effort to get under his skin by taking runs at him.
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"I hope not because we’re going to play them seven more times, it was Game 1,” Rask told reporters in a video press conference.
“So, I don’t know. Seems to be what (happens) every single time, but I think (Wood) does that every game, anyways, because he’s so fast. I don’t know, you could ask them. I doubt it. But (I'm) not a fan, obviously.”
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If the Bruins are going to respond to Wood's antics, we might see it pretty soon because these teams play again Saturday in New Jersey.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated the team is prepared to handle it if necessary.
“Clearly that will be talked about tomorrow," Cassidy said in his postgame video press conference. "That part of it because that’s not something we want to be a trend, and we have plenty of guys in our lineup that can take care of business in that regard."
The Bruins don't want to see Rask get hit like that multiple times in a game, but it did give their power play plenty of work, and the early results from that unit were quite promising.
