Tuukka Rask Returns To Practice For Bruins
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask returned to practice with the team on Friday morning at Warrior Ice Arena. Head coach Claude Julien said before Wednesday's game against the New York Rangers that Rask "could be a possibility" to play on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden.
Matt Kalman tweeted a photo of Rask skating by himself on Friday morning before the team practiced. Goaltending coach Bob Essensa eventually joined Rask on the ice, as did the Bruins' Zdeno Chara and Riley Nash, who tested Rask with "rapid-fire, double-direction wrist shots."
All three current Bruins goalies - Rask, Zane McIntyre, and Malcolm Subban - took part in Friday's practice, with Rask practicing at one end and the other two splitting time at the other.
While Rask's status for Saturday against Detroit remains up in the air, it appears that he is making a concerted effort to get himself ready to get back on the ice sooner rather than later. The Bruins have lost each of the past two games with Rask unavailable, by a combined score of 10-2.
Former Bruins defenseman and NHL analyst Aaron Ward said on Thursday's Great American Hockey Show podcast that Rask has been dealing with both hamstring and groin injuries, and not just "general soreness" as was previously reported. If Rask can't go on Saturday, the Bruins will again turn to McIntyre and Subban for the nod in net.
