BOSTON — It doesn’t matter how well Tuukka Rask plays on a given night, his ever-recalcitrant group of detractors always will find ways to poke holes in his performance.
But following an impressive Game 7, Rask’s head coach is hoping his goalie won a few folks over.
The Boston Bruins clinched their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series Tuesday night with a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 at TD Garden. In the victory Rask had 32 saves, including a couple stunners (see: Auston Matthews, first period).
Rask always has, and probably always will be, a somewhat maligned figure in Boston. For Cassidy, hopefully Tuesday’s performance changes that a bit.
“Well hopefully he’s converted a few (detractors),” Cassidy said. “I think in sports you have that a lot. I’m a sports fan, other sports, and I have it with certain players on teams I root for. For me, in the time I’ve known him, he’s been a very competitive man. Excellent goaltender, we saw it tonight, and hopefully he can continue to build on his playoff legacy — it’s a big Game 7 to win. And like I said I believe he was our best player. …
“I hope fans recognize what he did tonight,” Cassidy later added. “I think you have to as a fan acknowledge when a player plays well. I know in this town when you don’t hear about it and that’s fine too, but tonight he played well and hopefully people get behind him and acknowledge that.”
Hey, if someone has an axe to grind with Rask, they’ll find a way. But his performance Tuesday gave that crowd very little to work with.
