Tuukka Rask Takes Advantage of Second Straight Start As Bruins Goaltender Starts to ‘Get On a Roll’

BOSTON — Tuukka Rask wasn't just shrugging off the question when asked Thursday to recall the last time he started consecutive games in goal. The 24-year-old Finnish netminder honestly couldn't remember.

That can happen when a young goaltender shares time in goal with Tim Thomas, whose dominant 2010-11 season motivated some observers to compare him to some of the all-time greats.

"I can't even remember the last time I had two straight starts, to be honest with you," Rask said after the Bruins' 6-3 win over the Oilers. "It felt good, and obviously it felt good to get that 'W.'"

Not only is that two straight starts for Rask, but it's two straight wins, as well, after Monday's victory over the Islanders.

Don't expect Boston's rotation in goal to change drastically, though, according to Bruins head coach Claude Julien. The Bruins are just trying to keep both goalies sharp and fresh, he said.

"It's hard for a goaltender to play every 10 days," Julien said. "Every once in a while, you've got to allow them to get on a roll. I thought this was a good time for it.

"Obviously, you guys probably know who's going to be in net the next game, but the bottom line is, we've got a lot of games coming up. We want to give him an opportunity to get closer to being the best he can. The only way we felt we could do that was by giving him some consecutive games."

When the Bruins dropped Rask's first three games in net, Julien reminded everyone that Rask had been much stronger in goal than the results suggested. But after the last two games, no explanation has been necessary.