Rask returns to lineup
Khudobin to sit this one out
The Bruins’ goaltending world will take another turn today when Tuukka Rask gets the net again for a Garden game against the underachieving Edmonton Oilers.
Rask has not played since a 4-2 loss to the Ducks in Anaheim on Nov. 15 and, since then, the B’s have gone on a four-game win streak with Anton Khudobin. The B’s have earned points in all nine games Khudobin has played this season (7-0-2, .932 save percentage, 2.22 goals-against average) but only five with Rask (3-7-2, .897 SP, 2.89 GAA).
But the Bruins won’t go very far unless Rask gets right, and today will be his first step in that endeavor. How he responds to not just the added rest but the growing concern about his play will be interesting indeed. The Oilers are struggling this year,but they did pop in 11 goals in two games against Rask and the B’s last year.
“We’ll see (today) around 5 o’clock,” coach Bruce Cassidy, who is still going game to game on the goalie decisions, said yesterday at practice. “He’s used to playing a lot of hockey. He hasn’t for a while. For him, he might treat it like an injury when he hasn’t played a bit. But he’s been practicing, practicing well. It’s his turn to go. We’ve gotten terrific goaltending out of Dobby. We’d like to get terrific goaltending out of Tuukka, so everything can be terrific. We’ll see. It’s his chance (today).”
Cassidy hopes the time on the sideline can light a fire under Rask.
“Absolutely,” said Cassidy. “Any time you create competition in your lineup for anybody, I think it makes you better. It just makes you better. Then you have difficult decisions to make, but then they become easy if you know you can trust both of them, at any position. Internal competition is good for any team in any sport.”
Rask was not available for comment.
In wins against the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, Khudobin was excellent. Whether it went into Cassidy’s thinking or not, Khudobin showed some signs in Friday’s victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins of what we saw a little earlier in the season when he muffed easy shots and made things a little harder than they needed to be.
Marchand practices
Brad Marchand practiced but will not be available against the Oilers. The winger skated in a red noncontact jersey, but that didn’t seem to limit him much.
At one point, he crashed into Khudobin. Marchand got up slowly but with a smile on his face.
“Dobby was playing rough out there today,” said a smiling Marchand, who has missed seven of the last nine games with a suspected concussion. “The red jersey was just precautionary. I’m trying to work my way back into things, getting into game shape and game mode. Just trying to do as much as I can and I’m feeling pretty good.” . . .
The last game Marchand played was against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Garden on Nov. 10. In that game, he playfully gave Leo Komarov a peck on the cheek during a post-whistle scrum. Marchand’s reasoning?
“He kept hugging me after every whistle so I thought he wanted to get a little closer. I guess not. He shut me down,” said Marchand in his first chat with reporters since then.
Backes update
David Backes, who has been out since Oct. 30 following colon surgery due to complications with diverticulitis, was a full participant in practice for the first time, but the forward doesn’t have a target date for a return to the lineup.
“Being a surgery, you have to make sure all the tissues are healed so you’re not busted wide open. Those shovels are only so big and if my insides are on the outside, they’re going to need a few more buckets,” said the ever descriptive Backes.
“It’s about feeling good, getting the OK from the doctor that if I do take a couple good licks — I’m not going to change my game and not hit anybody — everyone needs to feel comfortable that I can play that way, play hard, that I’m defending myself and, from a medical standpoint, things won’t regress when those things do happen.” . . .
The Bruins are 5-0 with centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the lineup, including Khudobin’s four-game win streak.
Injuries mount
Ryan Spooner recently returned to the lineup from a groin tear but missed practice with an undisclosed injury. Cassidy said the forward will be a gametime decision.
Forward Peter Cehlarik, who suffered a left leg injury Friday, was seeing a doctor and more of an update should be available today.
With Spooner and Cehlarik banged up, forward Jordan Szwarz was recalled from Providence on an emergency basis while defenseman Robbie O’Gara was sent back to the AHL team.