Tuukka Rask will be in net for Bruins vs. Jets
BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 22: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins tends goal against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at TD Garden on November 22, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Blues won 4-2. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Not only are the Bruins are back from their nine-day break, but goaltender Tuukka Rask is back with them.
Injured in the team’s Jan. 14 loss to the Blue Jackets on Emil Bemstrom’s shot to the head and away from the team’s practices and games for a week before the team entered the bye week, Rask ‘looked great’ in Thursday’s practice according to Bruce Cassidy and will get the call for Friday’s head-to-head with the Jets.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, the 32-year-old Rask said that motion sickness was an issue for him during his recovery from his third diagnosed concussion since the 2017 season, but that he was feeling like himself after a few days and didn’t have to “sit in a dark room.”
“They’re all different, but as far as the symptoms and timeline, I think it’s pretty much the same,” Rask told reporters. “I was able to live my life for the most part right after, so that was good.”
Rask, who did not have to serve his one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game as a result of the concussion that shelved him for three games, has 13 wins and a .929 save percentage in 20 career starts against the Jets.
The Bruins as a team, meanwhile, return after a finish-strong win against the Golden Knights on Jan. 21, and looking to re-establish the consistency that made them one of the best teams in all of hockey at the all-star break.
🎥 #NHLBruins coach Bruce Cassidy meets with the media ahead of tonight's game against the Winnipeg Jets: pic.twitter.com/N8s4vfDWa2
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 31, 2020
The Bruins defeated the Jets by a 5-4 final at TD Garden back on Jan. 9, but have lost seven of their 10 meetings in Winnipeg since the franchise moved from Atlanta to Canada in 2011.
Here are the expected lines and pairings for the Bruins…
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen – David Krejci – Karson Kuhlman
Jake DeBrusk – Charlie Coyle – Anders Bjork
Joakim Nordstrom – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner
Zdeno Chara – Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug – Brandon Carlo
Jeremy Lauzon – Matt Grzelcyk
Tuukka Rask
