It wasn't, however, an easy road.
The season began with Claude Julien saying the same thing over and over again. There was no goaltending controversy, and the B's were happy to have two capable netminders. It was all well and good … until they didn't.
Tuukka Rask was 2-7-1 at the turn of the calendar year, despite his .927 save percentage, and Tim Thomas was putting together a historic run. He was 18-4-4, and his .947 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average made it impossible for Julien to give Rask many starts, and even when he did, the coach was quick to yank the 23-year-old in favor of the All-Star.
Some of us were so foolish as to say there was a problem brewing, but, well, we were wrong.
Granted, it wasn't for the best reasons, as it took a mini-breakdown from Thomas to give Rask the opportunity to regain his footing. However, Rask has made the most of it, and the result is the Bruins' being in an ideal situation heading into the last 22 games of the season.
"Tuukka was able to win us a couple games [recently]. It's great to see," Julien said Tuesday night. "We're hoping that we can utilize both of them from here on in so we're in a position to have some fresh goaltenders heading into the postseason."
Once the postseason rolls around, the Bruins may not be Stanley Cup favorites, but if you look around the league, it's hard to find any team that doesn't have its flaws. The Flyers have led the Eastern Conference all year, but it's never a sure bet to rely on a rookie goaltender to win a Stanley Cup (Sergei Bobrovsky can ask Rask about that). Second-ranked Tampa Bay has been trying to piece together a competent goaltending duo all season, and they're now depending on 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson to last through June. They might be better off with a rookie, as evidenced by their 25th-ranked goals-against mark as a team.
Each and every team has holes, Boston included, but in the most important spot on the ice, the Bruins are as strong as can be. With Thomas leading the league in save percentage and goals-against average all season and Rask now showing glimpses of his 2009-10 form, the veteran puck stopper said his legs felt "fresher" on Tuesday, and he now only has to worry about the little things.
"The one thought that did cross my mind," Thomas said when asked what he thought when Calgary scored its lone goal, "is how hard it is to get shutouts sometimes."
What a stable Rask brings to the Bruins is a chance not only for Thomas to get a rest, but also — as crazy as it sounds — a real competition in net. It seems unlikely at this point that Thomas could fall off far enough to even raise the question, but if Rask were to put together a hot streak, Thomas would surely take notice and pressure himself to up his game at the right time of year.
These two goalies, at opposite ends of their respective careers, have the ability to bring out the best in each other. That's anything but a problem.
