Pulling Rask an easy decision to make
Tuukka Rask still might have one foot in the Vezina Trophy race, but every goalie is capable of giving up a soft goal every now and then.
Rask picked a bad time to allow one yesterday in the Bruins’ 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders at the Garden.
The B’s had just given up the first goal of the game late in the second period when Josh Bailey seemed to surprise Rask with a shot from the bottom of the right circle. The puck slipped past the goalie through the short side.
“Yeah, I was just late,” Rask said. “One of those that I should have stopped.”
Rask played the rest of the period, giving up one more goal after stopping a breakaway but seeing the play continue until New York made it 3-0.
Coach Claude Julien decided to pull Rask in favor of Zane McIntyre to start the third period, marking the second time he has been pulled in as many games this season against the Islanders.
“There are two things that can happen,” Julien said. “No. 1, you hope you can spark your team because of the performance in front of him. And if it doesn’t spark your team, you’re not wasting your No. 1 goaltender’s energy.”
Said Rask: “You’ve got to do something, right? I let in that weak one, the second goal. But the coaches always have to do whatever they can to get the team going, and that’s it.”
Rask is as confounded as anyone with the team’s 10-11 home record.
“I try to talk about it all the time, you need to bring that emotion and work ethic every night,” he said. “Doesn’t matter of it’s road or home. On the road we seem to do that every night. At home for some reason, we play a good game, an emotional game and then we lack it in the next. And the results are what they were today. It’s like a broken record. We have to fix it. Or otherwise it won’t be good.”
McIntyre allowed one goal, when Jason Chimera converted a shorthanded breakaway, on 12 shots.
Blankety-blank Isles
It took 81 games, but the Islanders finally recorded their first shutout in Boston. In his second win at the Garden this season, Thomas Greiss made 32 saves.
“So far (playing in Boston) has been treating me well,” Greiss said. “But you know what, they’re a good team. You’ve always got to respect them. They always come at you pretty hard.”. . .
With fellow defenseman Kevan Miller (concussion) out, Joe Morrow was in the B’s lineup for the first time since Dec. 12. Morrow struggled, as he coughed up the breakaway to Islanders forward Casey Cizikas and then, after Rask made the save, he wasn’t in position to prevent a pass from getting to Nikolay Kulemin for the goal . . .
David Pastrnak’s goal-less streak extended to 14 games. The winger last scored Dec. 14 against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. . . .
With four goals and four assists in three games, winger Brad Marchand was named the NHL’s second star for last week.
Julien, Belichick huddle up
Julien said he touched base with Bill Belichick after the Patriots won their playoff opener Saturday.
“I always do,” Julien said before the game. “It’s not a secret that we texted fairly regularly during the season. I was happy to see them win that game. It was a big win for them, especially being off for two weeks. It’s not easy.
“What’s easy is to criticize and say they didn’t play well, but I think his team responded well in the second half, and no doubt they’ll be better in the next game. I’m looking forward to it.”