The reigning Vezina Trophy winner isn’t off to a very Vezina Trophy-like start.
At least, his numbers aren’t.
Last night in Toronto, Tuukka Rask saw his save percentage fall to a modest .901 after surrendering four goals on 16 shots, before getting replaced by backup Niklas Svedberg.
That save percentage ranks Rask 34th among NHL goalies, and better than only nine netminders league-wide. In stark contrast, Rask’s career save percentage is .926, the best of any active goalie with more than 50 appearances.
Tonight, the Bruins are in Montreal to play their biggest rivals. The last time Boston visited the Bell Centre, on Oct. 16, Rask was pulled after allowing five goals on 23 shots.
“I thought I had a good game and played well the last time we were there,” said Rask, per CSN New England. “There were goals you couldn’t do anything about.”
As for his modest stats, Rask replied, “If people don’t watch the games and just look at the stats and stuff, obviously they’re going to chirp you. Where I stand and where my game stands, is what I care about.”
Translation: he doesn’t think his numbers reflect where his “game stands.”
And to be fair, Rask was solid in his four starts prior to last night’s in Toronto, where B’s coach Claude Julien thought his entire team “just stunk the joint.”
“I take a lot of the blame,” said Rask. “Getting scored on three times in about three minutes is never good. It’s something I’m there for is to keep things tight, and to keep us in the game. Today wasn’t my night, and we have to move on.”