Rask explains hilarious mistake made late in Bruins' win over Rangers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask could've lost Wednesday night's game against the Rangers because of a crazy mistake, but fortunately for him, New York wasn't able to take advantage.
Rask started to skate toward the Bs' bench with about a minute left in the third period, to the surprise of his teammates and everyone else watching at home. The score was tied at two goals apiece and there wasn't a delayed penalty.
The veteran goalie eventually made his way back to the Bruins' net. The Bruins had the puck the entire time, so the Rangers didn't have a chance to make Rask pay for his mistake.
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Rask poked some fun at himself when asked about the situation after the Bruins emerged with a 3-2 overtime win at Madison Square Garden.
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“I just had to tell something to Jaro (Halak) real quick,” Rask said, clearly joking. "No, I honestly thought we were down, 2-1. That’s it. I thought we were down 2-1. I was waiting for (coach Bruce Cassidy) to wave me over there. I was like, ‘Why the heck is he not.' There was like a minute and a half left. He's not waving to me. And then I decided to come when we had the puck. And Chucky (Charlie McAvoy) told me, ‘Buddy, it’s 2-2.'"
Did Rask panic when he realized his mistake and that the score actually was even?
“Well, I think we had the puck. I wasn’t panicking at all. I was more laughing, actually," Rask admitted. "But hey, it’s the entertainment industry, I guess. That's what we try to provide: Entertainment for the fans. I'm sure people were shocked at first, but hopefully they got a good laugh out of that. I sure did."
It's easy to laugh now. The Bruins went to overtime and Brad Marchand scored the game-winner, extending Boston's point streak to nine games (8-0-1).
The Bruins now sit atop the East division with 20 points (9-1-2) through 12 games. Rask has won six of his eight starts.
