Tuukka Rask rejoins Bruins after two-day quarantine for a cough
No. 1 Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask returned to practice Monday, following a two-day quarantine imposed because of a cough he developed late last week in Toronto.
Rask, 33, served out his quarantine in his hotel room and was cleared to resume workouts, he said, because his daily testing for COVID-19 proved negative.
“It wasn’t easy to lay in your bed for a couple of days, obviously, being quarantined.” said Rask, who was in net every minute of last spring’s grueling playoff run through the Stanley Cup Final. “But you just try to catch up, get your legs under you, get ramped up again. A couple of more games, round-robin, and I feel confident that the next few days I’ll be back to normal.”
The Bruins, tepid and lackluster in a 4-1 loss the Flyers Sunday afternoon, next face the Lightning Wednesday in their second of three round-robin games. They don’t begin elimination play (opponent to be determined) until next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Coach Bruce Cassidy, who put Rask through the paces during a practice that began at noon, sounded prepared for Rask to make the start vs. Tampa Bay.
“He felt much better,” noted Cassidy. “Hopefully he progresses well and can be back in the net on Wednesday.”
Rask said he was quarantined once he noted his cough on a COVID app related to the players’ daily testing in the bubble.
“All kinds of red lights started blinking,” said the goalie, who belongs to a brotherhood trained to disdain red lights. “I was quarantined for two days. They wanted two negative tests after that, and that’s it.”
For his part, Rask said he will be ready to make the start. He started last Thursday vs. the Blue Jackets, gave up three goals, and ceded the net to Jaro Halak midway through the second period.
“At least I tested negative; I am still coughing but I am not too worried about that,” he said. “As long as the test came back negative, that’s all I care about. People have coughs, but I guess this day and age anything like that could be alarming.”
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