Tuukka Rask of Savonlinna, Finland notched his 51st career National Hockey League regular season shutout on Tuesday in a 2-0 Boston Bruins win over the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. However, it was only Rask’s first shutout of 2020-21. For fantasy hockey owners in head-to-head formats, like myself, the shutout for Rask could not have come at a better time as this is the opening week of the fantasy hockey playoffs.
Rask made 32 saves overall. He had nine saves in the first period, six saves in the second period and 17 saves in the third period. Sabres rookie phenom Dylan Cozens of Whitehorse, Yukon led Buffalo with seven shots on goal.
Offensively for the Bruins, Brad Marchand of Halifax, Nova Scotia, scored the game-winning goal at 8:06 of the first period from David Pastrnak of Havirov, Czech Republic, and Mike Reilly of Chicago, IL. Reilly, who was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Bruins at the NHL trade deadline for a third-round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, now has three assists in five games. All 22 points this season Reilly has had have been from assists as he had 19 assists with the Senators. Meanwhile, the Bruins got their second goal of the game at 3:03 of the second period. Connor Clifton of Long Branch, NJ scored an insurance marker from Sean Kuraly of Dublin, OH, and Curtis Lazar of Salmon Arm, BC for his first goal of the season and third goal of his career.
With the shutout, Rask now has a record of 11 wins, four regulation losses, and two losses in extra time. He has a goals-against average of 2.22 and a save percentage of .916. Rask missed significant time earlier this season with an undisclosed injury.
The Bruins are currently red hot, as they have won five straight games. They have a record of 26 wins, 12 regulation losses, and six losses in extra time for 58 points, and are in fourth place in the East Division.
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