Now, however, there is a bit of a predicament.
The problem isn't necessarily that Tim Thomas is playing too much (though that's still an issue); it's now a matter of Tuukka Rask's confidence being shot.
As hard as it was for the 23-year-old to sit on the bench for all but two games in December, the youngster knew he'd be given his chance at some point. On Saturday night, he was given that chance, but just 20 minutes into it, the opportunity was taken away.
"We felt we needed some bigger saves," Julien said of his decision to yank Rask from the game after he allowed three goals on 16 shots, even though the B's led 4-3 after a period. "He hasn't played in a while, but still, we needed to win this hockey game, so we thought it was important to make that change."
With hindsight being 20-20, it'd be easy to second-guess that decision in terms of its effect on winning that one game (Thomas let in three goals on 19 shots and allowed all three shootout attempts get past him). Yet, even before any of that took place, it was a risky decision that may have been made with the intention of helping the team in the short term but may end up doing damage in the long term.
A goalie is nothing without his confidence. Even the most gifted puck stoppers experience ruts when their confidence levels bottom out. While Rask doesn't openly wallow in self-pity, there's no way he was feeling too good about himself as he watched game after game with his Bruins hat on as he sat on the bench. That feeling may have reached its apex on Tuesday night, when Thomas was between the pipes for the second straight night — a game that seemed certain to be a Rask start.
Instead, Rask sat and watched. Thomas stopped 31 of 34 shots, and the Bruins eked out a 4-3 victory, but Rask was again not a part of it.
During the first intermission on Saturday, the question shouldn't have been about winning that single game. It should have been, "What will help Rask's confidence more — giving him the chance to get himself settled and win this game or pulling him?" It's hard to imagine anyone would land on conclusion B.
Of course, sticking with Thomas isn't exactly a terrible decision for Julien. All he's doing this year is leading the league in goals-against average (1.80) and save percentage (.945).The difference in GAA between Thomas and the second-best goalie (Jonathan Quick, 2.02) is the same as the gap between Quick and the sixth-best mark (old friend Andrew Raycroft, 2.24). It's close to the same for save percentage (Ondrej Pavelec is second at .935, while Quick and Brent Johnson are tied for fifth at .925).
So yes, Thomas should be given the majority of the starts, given that he's been playing better this year than he has at any point in his career (and that includes the Vezina season of 2008-09). Still, he's 36 and he isn't too far removed from major hip surgery, and from the ouside looking in, he looked gassed in his last two shootouts.
Thomas may be the No. 1 netminder, but a break isn't a bad thing — particularly in the fourth game of a five-game road trip. What Julien did by pulling Rask and saying the team "needed bigger saves" so they'd have a chance to win was punch the young netminder's confidence right in the gut.
Tuukka is young and he's confident, so he'll probably be able to weather the storm. After the events of Saturday, though, it'll be an uphill climb.
Should the Bruins have pulled Tuukka Rask on Saturday night? Share your thoughts below.
