COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sergei Bobrovsky has rightfully seized many of the headlines in this second-round series against the Boston Bruins. Bobrovsky has a 2.13 goals against average and a .933 save percentage this far in the postseason, and has posted a .934 save percentage in the four games against the B’s while backstopping them to a 2-2 split thus far in the best-of-seven series.
So he’s been the best Bob that he can be.
But Tuukka Rask outplayed his talented Columbus counterpart on Thursday night while stopping 39 shots in a massive 4-1 win for the Bruins in Game 4 at Nationwide Arena, and made every big stop in an important game. All of Boston’s big guns came to play with Rask dialed in, Patrice Bergeron scoring a couple of goals and David Pastrnak snapping out of his funk with a multi-point game as well.
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When it was all over, Rask was finally getting some of the credit he deserves in the series as well with an even better .942 save percentage in the four games against the Blue Jackets. Interestingly enough Rask has the exact same .933 save percentage for this postseason as Bobrovsky is sporting, and it’s turned into a pretty good showdown between elite goaltenders in this series.
“Tuukka was outstanding. I thought he fought really hard to compete on second chances,” said Bruce Cassidy. “On a power play in the third period, there were some second chances and they’ve scored on plays like that, and I thought Tuukka competed really hard to find pucks. He made some really big saves on odd-man rushes and was on his angles, and I thought he made a really key save on the penalty shot. That sequence ended up working out really well for us.”
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On Thursday night there was no doubt which goalie was better, however. Bobrovsky was dinged up for a couple of goals from Pastrnak and Bergeron in the first period, and Rask meanwhile stoned Boone Jenner on a penalty shot at the most critical juncture of the game. In the first period, the Bruins had a 1-0 lead and were on the power play, but Jenner was freed for a shorthanded breakaway among an evening of shorthanded odd-man rushes for the Columbus penalty kill. Brad Marchand swept the puck away while tripping Jenner, and left it to Rask to stone the Columbus forward on his penalty shot.
Thirteen seconds later, Bergeron scored a power-play goal to make it a 2-0 game and the Bruins earned a big victory at the game’s biggest turning point thanks largely to Rask’s goaltending skill.
“He’s been a great player for our group all playoffs. He’s given us a chance to win every game,” said Brad Marchand. “He was big again tonight. When we needed him to make saves on the kill or when they were putting a surge on [against us], he was huge.”
It wasn’t just the penalty shot save for Rask either. The Bruins No. 1 goalie was as brilliant as he’s been in the entire postseason with those 39 saves, and truth be told, it should have been a 39-save shutout were it not for the horrendous non-whistle preceding the Artemi Panarin goal. Rask was flawless while protecting a slim one-goal lead for most of the game, and continued to stand tall when the Bruins added a couple of insurance goals late in the proceedings.
It was a pretty resounding postseason performance from a goalie who’s always battled questions about his big game readiness. Rask has been answering those questions impressively during this Stanley Cup playoff run.
Clearly, hockey is a team game and all teammates share the glory with each playoff win, but there’s also the goaltending battle between Rask and Bobrovsky that had been in Columbus’ favor for most of the series. But in Game 4, Rask provided a reminder that he’s got the ability to be one of the best goalies in the world when he’s right. Rask hasn't been the reason behind any of Boston's losses in these playoffs, and he’s been incredibly good for pretty much the entire second round against the Blue Jackets.
“Every series it’s a goalie battle, you know? To a certain extent,” said Rask. “There were two overtime games and one-goal games, so everybody talks about it more in that situation. I can only speak to my behalf, but I’m just out there trying to give us a chance to win every night.”
If the Bruins end up winning the second-round series vs. Columbus, then Game 4 will be looked at as a turning point in the series, and Rask’s epic 39-save performance will be the single biggest factor behind that game-changing win.
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