Blues Run Over Tuukka Rask Twice In Game 2 -- Accidental Or Strategic?

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuukka Rask has been nearly impossible to beat this postseason. The Blues may be seeking an alternate route.

Just minutes into Game 2, Sammy Blais drove toward the net. He was most assuredly trying to score a goal, but when he ran out of room, the 6-foot-2 forward barreled at full speed into Rask.

The play drew a penalty, and the Bruins scored promptly on the power play.

That, though, didn't deter the Blues from taking another run at Rask. This time, it was late in the second period, and it came during what would have been a four-minute power play for the Blues. But Jaden Schwartz put an end to that man advantage by leaping rear-first into the head of Rask.

Schwartz, the Blues' leading goal scorer this postseason, was sent to the box for goaltender interference, just as Blais was earlier. Schwartz didn't make any effort to avoid Rask until it was too late. He made a leap just before contact, either trying to hurdle the goaltender or just reacting to imminent contact.

Now, judging a player's intentions is a dangerous game to play. In a sport as fast as hockey, a lot of contact can take place without ill intention. And in games with stakes as high as this one, players are going to crash the net hard. Naturally.

At the same time, Rask entered the game with a .940 save percentage and a 1.85 goals-against average. Both stats had Rask as the NHL postseason leader, as he's been authoring one of the best playoff runs on record. The Blues stated publicly that they'd need to get more traffic in front of the net in order to try to get more pucks past him.

Whether they intended to or not, that traffic resulted in some heavy collisions.

It's worth noting, too, that Rask was run over by New York's Filip Chytil -- with some help from Charlie McAvoy -- in late January this season. That game happened just before the Bruins' week off, so Rask only missed one game after suffering a concussion on that hit.

It is, of course, the Stanley Cup Final, so the Bruins can't exactly challenge the offending player to a fight when such a collision occurs.

So, intentional or otherwise, the Blues ran over Rask twice in two periods in Game 2. Both collisions resulted in penalties, and both were certainly noted by the Boston bench. If one more takes place, the Blues may lose plausible deniability.

For his part, Rask didn't make much of the two collisions after the Blues won 3-2 in overtime.

"I expect it," Rask said. "I mean, it's playoff hockey. If both teams are playing tight defense, it's tough to get to the net. So when those chances happen, when it's a wide net drive, guys are going to finish it. But they called them, they got penalties, so, it's hockey. ... Playoff hockey -- or, even regular-season hockey these days. There's so much speed that when the guys are driving and the D's are closing the gap, it's tough for them to kind of avoid the contact. But, you know, it's a penalty. So it happens."

Again, intentions are impossible to deduce. But what was pretty clear in this game was that the Blues were not particularly concerned with avoiding contact with Boston's netminder.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

In:
• Boston Bruins
• NHL
• St. Louis Blues
• Tuukka Rask