Bruce Cassidy Sets Terms For ‘Healthy’ Tuukka Rask-Linus Ullmark Competition

Will Tuukka Rask or Linus Ullmark emerge as the Boston Bruins’ No. 1 goaltender?

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed the brewing competition between the Bruins’ goaltenders for the No. 1 job Friday in a video press conference. Rask backstopped the Bruins to victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night in his first start since rejoining Boston. Cassidy plans to rotate Rask and Ullmark going forward, and results will determine which goaltender secures the title as Boston’s No. 1.

“Yeah I think we’ve got to let it play out a little bit,” Cassidy said. “I think there’s always competition – healthy competition, wanting to push your teammate competition, not wishing him bad fortune or poor play. I think in this situation we’ve got two goalies who have typically have been number ones. (Jeremy) Swayman was in that mix vying to be a number one. But now it’s those two that have been around, so we will probably give them each the net a fair amount going forward, and over time it will sort itself out.

“Any coach will tell you it’s results-oriented.”

Ullmark, a first-year-Bruin, is 12-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA this season and has won his last five starts.

Rask, who holds the Bruins’ record for career wins, is recovering his rhythm and sharpness following a long rehabilitation from offseason hip surgery.

Cassidy said earlier this week he believes internal competition only will fuel the Bruins’ pursuit of success over the remainder of the season. The Rask-Ullmark competition is one part of a larger overall strategy Cassidy endorses.