Tuukka Rask of Savonlinna, Finland recorded his 52nd National Hockey League career regular season shutout on Monday. The 34-year-old veteran netminder was not completely tested in a 3-0 Boston Bruins win over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, as the Bruins played strong defensively throughout the game.
Rask made 20 saves in the Boston win. He made four saves in the first period, five saves in the second period, and 11 saves in the third period.
Offensively for the Bruins, Boston got goals from Patrice Bergeron of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Nick Ritchie of Orangeville, Ontario, and Matt Grzelcyk of Boston, MA. Bergeron, as well as Brad Marchand of Halifax, Nova Scotia had multi-point games with two points each. Bergeron had one goal and one assist, while Marchand had two assists.
With the win, the Bruins clinched a playoff spot in the East Division with 68 points. Heading into the game, they had an eight-point lead on the New York Rangers, and that lead extended to 10 points with the Bruins win over the Devils, and the 6-3 Rangers loss to the Washington Capitals.
We now know all four teams that will be in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East Division. Joining the Bruins are the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders. Also with the win over the Devils, the Bruins moved into third place in the East, as they now have 68 points, while the Islanders have 67 points.
This was Rask’s second shutout of the season. The first came on April 20 in a 2-0 Bruins win over the Buffalo Sabres. On the season, Rask has a record of 14 wins, four regulation losses, and two losses in extra time. He also has a goals against average of 2.16, and a save percentage of .919.
The Bruins have five more games left in their 2020-21 NHL regular season. They have two games with the Rangers, and one each with the Islanders, Devils, and Capitals.
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