Bruins’ Tuukka Rask Looked Strong In Game 3, Not Concerned About Health

A lot of eyes were on Tuukka Rask on Thursday night when he took his stance between the pipes for the Boston Bruins in Game 3 against the New York Islanders.

Rask looked to be laboring a bit during Boston’s Game 2 loss at TD Garden, and head coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned the goalie had been dealing with “nagging injuries.” Of course, that’s not what you want to hear about your No. 1 goalie in the middle of a Stanley Cup Playoff run.

The 34-year-old was dealing with a back injury during the regular season that caused him to miss some time, but Rask certainly looked sharp in his 28-save performance — making some clutch stops at the end of the third and the beginning of overtime — in the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime win against the Islanders in Game 3.

After the game, Rask was asked about his health and whether having an extra day off between games was beneficial to him.

“It’s always good to have a little extra rest between the games, no matter if you’re injured or not,” Rask said over Zoom. “I think the season has been very hectic overall. But, as far as my health goes, as long as I’m out there it’s good enough. That’s, I guess, the only thing I can say. It didn’t hurt to have those two days.”

Certainly sounds as if he’ll be ready for Game 4 as New York looks to avoid the brink of elimination Saturday night.