Tuukka vows to stick to goalie talk
LAS VEGAS — Tuukka Rask has long been one of the most candid and honest voices in the Bruins dressing room — always willing to accept blame himself for saves he should have made but did not. And also, sometimes, openly critical of the play of the team in front of him.
Last night, after the Bruins got outplayed and dropped a 3-1 decision to the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, Rask informed reporters that his days of analyzing the play of his teammates are over.
“You know, well, I just try to go out there and give us a chance to win every night, that’s what I’m focused on,” said Rask. “So I’m not going to comment on team play anymore that much. We can just talk about goaltending. That’s just the way it is. Sorry.”
It’s not hard to conclude that Rask has probably been spoken to about his past tendency to speak candidly — whether by management, coaches or teammates, we don’t know. If he does continue keeping his views to himself, B’s fans will be the worse for it.
McQuaid hit hard
Defenseman Adam McQuaid was struck near the right knee by a shot from ex-Bruin Colin Miller — one of the hardest shooters in the league. McQuaid was down in great pain for a couple of minutes, then helped off. The portable Xray machine was wheeled into the B’s room, but there was no word on the extent of damage . . . .
There was no miracle return by B’s top center Patrice Bergeron, who missed his fifth game with an undisclosed ailment.
“There’s good progression there,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “I sound like a broken record, but there really is. Now with four days before our next game, I’d anticipate he’ll be a lot closer on Thursday than he probably was at the start of this trip. It’s a day-to-day thing for him, and he needs to feel 100 percent. He doesn’t want to play a period or two, reinjure it and miss another large stretch.” . . .
Ryan Spooner left in Period 2 and did not return. Tim Schaller left for a while, but did come back . . . .
After sitting out Saturday, winger Frank Vatrano was back in the B’s lineup, with Austin Czarnik taking a seat in the press box.
“Frank is a good player for us,” said Cassidy. “Part of (Saturday was), ‘Hey, go upstairs, watch the game, take something from it and (then) get back in the lineup.’ Just hopefully up there watching a game he learns a little bit about the all-round game and how to play away from the puck — and hopefully gives us a spark.”
Emotional response
The pall from the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay shootings still hangs over Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights home opener early this week, 10 days after the atrocity, were by all accounts tremendously emotional, as the team remembered the victims and lauded the first responders who prevented the horror from being even worse.
“We want to show that we’re part of the Vegas community,” team owner Bill Foley said. “We want to recognize first responders and show them that we appreciate everything that they’ve done. They’re the ones who went out there and risked their lives and saved lives. We’re trying hard to represent them.”
The expansion team’s players have embraced the city.
“This city is so much more than The Strip,” said Knights winger James Neal, who is off to a sensational start, with six goals. “It’s not just a city where you come and party and leave. We’re making this our home and making this a hockey town — and I think we’re off to a great start.”
Fun travel plans
The Bruins had the rare opportunity after the game to enjoy the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. The team could have flown home last night, but opted to stay in town and charter home this morning.
“We talked about it in (August and September),” said Cassidy. “Two schools of thought: If you take the red eye, you lose a whole night of sleep. Stay over and the guys have a little bit of bonding as a team — and hopefully get some level of rest. That was the discussion.”
The concern could be, of course, that guys have too much fun. Cassidy chooses to trust the players will behave.
“They’re big boys,” he said. “I’ll be sound asleep. I’m not doing the bed check.”