Tuukka Rask Confident His Fractured Finger Will Be Back To Normal When NHL Playoffs Begin
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuukka Rask is nursing a fractured finger, but the Bruins netminder isn't worried about the injury. He's confident that he'll be 100 percent when the NHL drops the puck on the postseason next month.
Rask was seen sporting a splint on one of his fingers on his glove hand during Tuesday's practice at Warrior Ice Arena. He told reporters that he's been dealing with the ailment for the last few weeks, but it's nothing major.
"I fractured my finger a couple weeks ago doing box jumps," Rask said Tuesday. "It's getting better so I'm not worried about it. It will be all set once we start playing."
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy believes the injury came from a different action, however.
"Too much drums, I think," Cassidy joked.
Rask said there has been a little bit of soreness when he makes a glove save, but the finger has already improved a lot since he suffered the injury.
"It's one of those things, it's going to linger a little bit. It's been two or three weeks now and it already feels a lot better. I'm pretty optimistic that within a week, I'll have my normal glove on," he said.
.@tuukkarask speaks with the media about his finger injury and prepping for the NHL's return: "It's getting better. I'm not worried about it. It will be all set once we start playing." pic.twitter.com/bmRdKXOFyq
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 21, 2020
Not much has been able to slow Rask this season, with the Boston netminder a Vezina finalist once again after going 26-8-6 with a .929 percentage and a 2.12 goals-against average. He's got some big expectations for the Bruins when the NHL resumes action, after the team earned a league-best 100 points during the regular season.
"When you look at how our team is built, I think we're built for a long run in the playoffs. We were heading in that direction when the league and the whole world came to a stop. But now we just have to start building that same chemistry with this group when it stopped," said Rask. "Winning a Cup or any major trophy in Boston is a big thing, and that's what we thrive for and that's out goal. That hasn't changed. Everything else in the world has changed, so we have to adapt and build that chemistry back up."