TD Garden shook as Brad Marchand spread his arms wide and puffed his chest out to the Boston crowd, mouthing “it’s over” as Vince Carter famously did in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Marchand had just hammered the final nail into the coffin of the Toronto Maple Leafs, potting the empty-netter and effectively finalizing the score of Game 7 at 7-4.
As the camera panned around the Bruins’ home arena, fans danced jubilantly, a stark juxtaposition to the Leafs faithful sadly filing home from the viewing party outside Air Canada Centre. I, for one, will admit that my major feeling was one of relief. After all the hype surrounding this Boston team going into the playoffs, a first-round exit would’ve been hugely disappointing. I had also stuck my own neck out on the table and called the Bruins legit Cup contenders, so an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals elimination would’ve undoubtedly burned me.
But aside from all of that, Bruins fans were relieved that this Boston team had come through; that this group of guys wasn’t just another permutation of the one that had blown a 3-0 lead to the Flyers, a 3-2 lead to the Habs, and a 2-1 lead to the Capitals--all series which had culminated in Game 7 losses. Boston fans wanted to believe that this wasn’t the Claude Julien Big Bad Bruins; that Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, and Jake DeBrusk were the new-age team with hands and speed that no Claude Julien team had ever seen. On Wednesday night, this Bruce Cassidy-led squad faced its first major postseason test: Could they get it done in the big game? With a 7-4 victory in Wednesday’s Game 7, most of them answered with a resounding yes.
But the first two periods were shaky (or “sketchy,” as NESN play-by-play commentator Jack Edwards described) on goaltender Tuukka Rask’s end. I understand that, on one hand, Bruins die-hards want to point at the media and say, “You’re just trying to find a negative story even though we won the series,” and that, on the other hand, talk-sports hosts like Michael Felger will point to this performance to fuel their anti-Rask narrative, but it’s hard to look at the numbers and really feel good about Tuukka in big games.
On Wednesday, he gave up 4 goals on 23 shots, an .833 save percentage. In his career in Game 7s, Tuukka averages an .845 save percentage and 3.75 goals against. He’s only once let up fewer than 4 goals, a game in which he surrendered 3. I would argue that Rask is one of the best goalies on the planet purely based on his skill-set, but the numbers say that he wilts in big games. I’m also not in the anti-Rask camp, but every once in awhile, his play is gonna cost the Bruins a game or even an entire series.
The best comparison I can think of for Tuukka Rask is Stephen Gostkowski: all-world at his position, but tends to make a fatal mistake when the games matter most. Since the PAT was moved back to the 15-yard line, the Pats have played in 3 Conference Championships and 2 Super Bowls. Gostkowski has missed an extra point in 3 of those 5 games. This is all to say that Tuukka’s Game 7 woes aren’t the end of the world for the Bruins, but that it might end up costing them if they need a big-time performance in a tight spot.
I still think the Bruins should go six or seven games with the Lightning and (hopefully) win, although I think the home-ice advantage in Game 7 might prove to be big (damn you, Florida Panthers). But it would be frivolous to deny the fact that Tuukka isn’t good in big spots. This is a new-age Bruins team, but some parts of Claude Julien’s regime still remain.
(Stats via Hockey Reference and Pro Football Reference)
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