Bruce Cassidy Expects Tuukka Rask In Game 3 Despite ‘Nagging’ Injuries

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who is at full health one round into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is no different.

Rask, who battled some injury issues this season, looked to be bothered by something Monday night in Boston’s Game 2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. As the second-round series shifts to Long Island, though, head coach Bruce Cassidy expects to have his No. 1 goalie despite Rask not being full health.

“He’s been dealing with some injuries all year,” Cassidy said Tuesday morning on a video call with reporters. “He’s obviously good enough to play. They’re nagging, not unique to just Tuukka, and for that position, obviously it’s going to be brought up.

“(Tuesday’s) an off-day for everybody — get away from the rink. But if you need treatment, get in. I’ll have a better update on if there’s going to be a potential issue down the road, but right now, he’ll go in and get his treatment be ready to go (Wednesday) unless I hear differently. Right now, I don’t believe there’s any reason to think he won’t be ready to go Thursday.”

The Bruins are off Tuesday and will practice Wednesday before Game 3 on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum.

“As for his injury, I don’t believe there will be anything to worry about,” Cassidy added. “If there is, obviously we’ll have to sort through that.”

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In his postgame press conference Monday night, Cassidy said he wasn’t aware of any pressing issues with Rask, who played the entire overtime contest.

“He finished the game, so I assume he’s OK. If he wasn’t, he would have told us,” Cassidy said in his postgame video conference. “We have a very capable backup, so I assume (Rask is) fine. We don’t play again until Thursday, so he’ll have some time to rest if there is something going on.”

Rask missed a good chunk of time down the stretch with what was assumed to be some sort of back ailment. He certainly looked healthy in the Bruins’ first-round series against the Washington Capitals, although he recently hinted at dealing with something.

“(My) health is OK. I’ve been playing, so that’s OK — not as good as I want it to be, but obviously I’ve been playing and practicing and I’m out there, so that’s all that matters,” Rask said last week during on appearance with “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI-FM.

As Cassidy alluded to, the Bruins certainly have a “very capable backup” in Jeremy Swayman. The rookie goalie made the most of his opportunity when Rask was hurt earlier in the year, snatching the backup job away from Jaroslav Halak. Swayman won seven of his 10 starts with an eye-popping .945 save percentage.