Tuukka Rask Explains How Near-Full TD Garden Can Impact Bruins In Game 1

Tuukka Rask, a 14-year NHL veteran, has been there and done that at hockey’s highest level.

The longtime Boston Bruins goaltender could be in store for a case of excited jitters Saturday night, however.

The B’s are set to open their second-round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Islanders before a near-full TD Garden. The Black and Gold’s home arena hasn’t hosted a crowd of more than 25% capacity since March 10 of last year.

Rask, sure likely the rest of his Bruins teammates, is very much looking forward to playing playoff hockey in a packed house.

“It’ll be awesome,” Rask said Friday on “The Greg Hill Show,” as transcribed by WEEI. “I think everybody’s super excited about that. Obviously we had some fans in the previous round, and you can really notice the difference even then. It felt like it was half full, but obviously if it’s going to an almost full house, it’s going to be loud and something that we haven’t seen in over a year. Everybody’s going to be really pumped up. Hopefully it doesn’t make us nervous. Hopefully it just gives us energy in the right way and we can feed off that.”

Puck drop for Islanders-Bruins Game 1 is slated for 8 p.m. ET.