A familiar face returned to Boston Bruins practice with Jeremy Swayman feeling under the weather on Thursday.
Tuukka Rask, who spent 15 years with the Bruins before retiring in 2022, dressed in morning skate as an emergency backup goalie. Unfortunately for fans, though, Rask will not be the backup for Linus Ullmark against Buffalo, with the team recalling Brandon Bussi from the Providence Bruins.
Drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005, Rask was traded to the Bruins in exchange for Andrew Raycroft, giving Toronto some immediate goaltending help back in 2006. But it was a move that paid off huge for Boston, with Rask finishing his career in 2022 with a 308-165-66 record, 52 shutouts, a Stanley Cup, a Vezina Trophy and an Olympic bronze medal.
In 24 appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign, Rask racked up a 15-5-2 record with a .913 save percentage and two shutouts. Rask attempted a comeback in 2021-22 following offseason hip surgery but played just four games before calling it quits at 34.
Swayman wasn’t expected to start on Thursday, with Ullmark set to face off against his former team. The American keeper has been rock solid again this year, going 9-1-2 with a .932 save percentage. He could return against Arizona on Saturday, a team that has recently found heat against some of the league’s top squads.
Bussi, recalled under emergency conditions, has a 6-4-2 record with a .917 save percentage with Providence this year. He started 2022-23 in the ECHL before getting an early season call-up, where he went on one of the best runs in the league en route to a 22-5-4 record.
The Bruins sit second in the NHL with a 17-4-3 record, giving them 37 points. They’ve played three fewer games than Vegas, who sit just two points ahead on top. The Bruins are amid a three-game win streak, with three of their four losses this year coming over the past 10 games.
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