The Boston Bruins have been a wagon in the playoffs, winning seven consecutive games, including four straight against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
Now, the Spoked-B must steer clear of any rust while an 11-day layoff threatens to stop the Bruins’ wheels from running right over either the San Jose Sharks or St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final.
This could be especially challenging for Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, who’s been driving Boston’s wagon for much of the postseason. But Rask doesn’t sound too concerned about the lengthy stretch between games potentially causing him to veer off the road.
“It’s only as big of a challenge I guess that you make it for yourself,” Rask told reporters Monday after Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I just practice when we practice and then take time off when there’s days off. I think that’s it. I don’t think about hockey every day, all day. I don’t think that’s gonna do any good. I just stay sharp on the ice, do the work you need to do and then play when the puck drops. That’s about it.”
The Bruins completed their four-game sweep of the Hurricanes last Thursday and won’t play again until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final next Monday. The break obviously will give the B’s some time to nurse the bumps and bruises that typically accompany playoff hockey, but sometimes it’s better to keep things rolling when the going is good.
Rask, in particular, has been sensational this postseason, posting a 1.84 goals against average and a .942 save percentage in 17 playoff games thus far. He’s gotten better with each passing series, too, and it sounds like he has a plan for continuing that trend despite the Bruins’ current downtime.
