After a 29-save performance in the Bruins’ win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon, Tuukka Rask was scheduled to enjoy a day of rest Sunday when Boston visited Detroit for the second leg of a back-to-back.
It turned out there would be no off day for Rask, however.
Jaroslav Halak was a late scratch in the Bruins’ 3-1 loss to the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Per a statement from the Bruins, Halak was not feeling well but was a possibility to serve as a back up and/or play if need be. Halak never saw the ice and Rask finished the afternoon having stopped 17 of Detroit’s 19 shots.
Bruce Cassidy provided some clarity on the matter after the game. Per NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, the head coach noted an upper body injury “flared up” and the club opted to err on the side of caution with Halak.
The Bruins dealt with another minor goaltender concern later in the game when Rask took an Andreas Athanasiou shot up high, which prompted team trainer Don DelNegro to take to the ice and tend to the netminder. Luckily for the B’s, Rask was able to stay the course.
Boston next will take to the ice Wednesday when it hosts the rival Montreal Canadiens. One has to imagine Halak will get the nod in between the pipes should he be 100 percent.
Here are some other notes from Bruins-Red Wings:
— The Bruins joined the Canadiens as the only teams with multiple losses to the Red Wings this season. Of Boston’s 11 regulation defeats thus far on the campaign, two have come against the team currently with the lowest point total in the NHL.
— Boston was the victim of a goal nullified due to offside, but everyone watching the game, both in attendance and on television, felt the wrath of the coach’s challenge. The officials took ample time to review the play, which paved the way for troll jobs from both the Bruins’ official Twitter account and Cassidy.
After a three-hour delay, the play has been ruled offside…no goal. Still down 1-0 with 7:38 remaining in the second. #NHLBruins
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 9, 2020
Bruce Cassidy, full on trolling the offside coach's challenge: "I think it would be good for you guys tomorrow to write a nice story about how great that is for the NHL. NBC, we're on there. How long did we wait to decide?"
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) February 9, 2020
— Jeremy Lauzon was issued a two-game suspension for his high hit Saturday on the Arizona Coyotes’ Derek Stepan, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced shortly before the game. Urho Vaakanainen, in turn, was recalled on an emergency basis.
The Bruins also announced Sunday they’d placed Joakim Nordstrom on injured reserve.
— To put Boston’s head-scratching loss further into perspective, the Red Wings would have been eliminated from the Atlantic Division race with a loss Sunday, per ESPN Stats & Info. Just as a reminder, it’s early February.
— Sunday marked the Bruins’ first loss post-All-Star break. The Black and Gold’s win streak was halted at six.
