Bruins’ 3 stars of the week: Welcome back, Tuukka Rask
COMMENTARY
What a difference a week makes.
After losing three in a row without Tuukka Rask, the Bruins won three in a row to close out their recent road trip after their goaltender returned to help them. Although Rask gets deservedly high praise this week, there were some other things to like from the Black and Gold during the team’s swing through Detroit and sunny Florida.
Here is the latest edition of Weekly 3 Stars:
Tuukka Rask
Life without Tuukka Rask was tough. Anton Khudobin, Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban combined to go 0-4-0 while filling in for him, a run which included three straight losses.
For the time being, all is right in The Hub, at least between the pipes. The 2014 Vezina Winner picked up right where he left off in his three starts this week against the Red Wings, Lightning and Panthers, allowing just four goals and compiling a save percentage of .955 in that span.
Rask is arguably off to the best start of his career, winning each of his first six starts to go along with a 1.48 goals against average and .951 save percentage.
As a team, the Bruins seem to play better with Rask backstopping them than they do without him. As Rask goes, so do the Black and Gold.
The Penalty Kill
While Rask’s return has helped the Bruins’ penalty kill, this unit has proved that it’s solid beyond the No. 1 netminder. Aside from Thursday night where they allowed two goals against the lethal Lightning power play, the Bruins’ shorthanded unit held the fort to secure their three wins.
In two instances, the Bruins’ penalty kill came through in late-game situations. Against the Panthers, the Bruins killed a 6-on-4 situation late in the third period — part of an evening when they allowed just six shots in seven shorthanded opportunities. Two nights after killing all seven of Florida’s power plays, the Bruins’ PK came through again in the clutch, stopping the Lightning’s 4-on-3 power play in overtime.
Although they dropped from seventh to 10th in the league in penalty kill percentage (now at 84.4 percent) following Thursday’s 4-3 shootout win in Tampa, the PK is once again becoming a strength for head coach Claude Julien and company.
The one negative takeaway from this, though, is the amount of times the Bruins have had to kill penalties. Their 45 shorthanded attempts are third most in the league behind Calgary (52) and Anaheim (46). The strong play from the penalty kill has kept the frequent trips to the penalty box from being too costly, but they could eventually haunt the B’s down the road.
The Fourth Line
Aside from David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Brad Marchand, the Bruins haven’t found much offense. Amid the struggles of the team’s secondary options, the fourth line of Noel Acciari, Dominic Moore and Tim Schaller has become an unlikely source of offense. Of the Bruins’ 23 goals scored in regulation or overtime, the aforementioned trio has combined for four of those lamp lighters — or 1/6th of the team’s offense.
Beyond the scoresheet, the fourth line is executing its other responsibilities effectively. From their energy to their defensive play, the fourth line has rarely missed assignments on either end of the ice; and they are being rewarded with more time.
Although Schaller’s frequent trips to the box are cause for concern, the Bruins’ fourth line is playing a role that has gone unfilled since the days of the “Merlot Line” featuring Shawn Thornton, Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell.
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