History repeated itself Thursday night for the Boston Bruins.
For the second straight series, Tuukka Rask was flawless with a chance to advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on the line. The B’s goaltender posted a 39-save shutout in a series-clinching effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he followed suit in Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, turning away all 24 shots he saw as Boston clinched a Stanley Cup Final berth.
Rask has been tweaking the NHL record books seemingly on a game-by-game basis throughout his marvelous playoff run, and Thursday night proved to be no different.
Most series-clinching shutouts in the Conference Finals/Semifinals, NHL history:
3 – Jacques Plante
2 – Glenn Hall
2 – @tuukkarask#NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/caGoJCB7Ml— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 17, 2019
The veteran goaltender was at his best in the Eastern Conference Final, denying 109 of 114 total shots over the span of four games against the Hurricanes. The B’s will need this trend to continue as they try to win their second Stanley Cup in nine years.
