Rask's return to the Bruins net hasn't been up to par so far

Jan. 26—BOSTON — It may not be easy to accept, but there are going to be some stinkers along the way when it comes to Tuukka Rask.

That's just reality when you're talking about an almost 35-year-old goalie coming off of hip surgery and playing in just his fourth NHL game in the last seven months. There has to be some level of faith — or at least hope — that he'll eventually work his way back into form, one that saw him firmly ensconced among the league's elite netminders over the last decade.

But like most changes, it's not going to happen overnight. And as Monday's 5-3 home setback to the Anaheim Ducks proved, there are bound to be a few stinkers along the way.

Rask looked tentative at times, positively shaky at others. He gave up an extremely leaky shorthanded goal to Anaheim's Isac Lundestrom early in the second period, a one-handed flick that slid rather harmlessly through his pads. A very stoppable, very preventable goal instead gave the Southern Californians a 2-0 lead.

"My stick wasn't there," Rask said in his postgame press conference. "Somehow it trickled through slowly ... it shouldn't happen. Just a terrible goal."

But that wasn't the only blip on his Monday night performance. Ducks veteran Ryan Getzlaf ripped a shot from about 45 feet out that was tipped past Rask by Derek Grant, then beat the keeper himself by muscling past David Pastrnak in the far circle and snapping a 40-footer into the Boston net.

There was more. Troy Terry made it 4-2 in the third when his bid between the circles broke off Rask and into the cage, and Greg Pateryn's first goal of the season — and just fifth in 287 NHL games — from 50 feet away sealed the hosts' fate.

"He's not where he needs to be; I think that's evident," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said of Rask, stating the obvious.

Since returning to action less than two weeks ago, Rask's normally stellar numbers are nowhere where they need to be. He's 2-2 in four starts with an ugly 4.29 goals against average and even uglier .844 save percentage, having allowed 14 goals on 90 shots.

"You try to set your expectations high," said Rask on his return, "but reality sometimes doesn't match that. I obviously haven't been good enough. I have to fix that."

Cassidy, conceding that his squad "could've used a few more saves" from Rask, felt that 7-8 starts would be a good barometer of where his goaltender was at after joining the Bruins in the middle of the season.

Will a few more games shake off any added rust on Rask, get him from playing so deep in the crease and instead challenge shooters, and do a better job of tracking pucks? The proof will be in the proverbial pudding.

Throughout his tenure in Boston, Rask has always been quick to acknowledge when he's not playing up to par. He's incredibly even keeled for someone who plays his position, yet doesn't shy away from criticism or questions about his play when it's warranted.

This is one of those times. The Bruins, who have arguably the best goaltender in the system (rookie Jeremy Swayman) currently plying his trade in Providence because the Bruins need to keep both Rask and Linus (4 years, $20 million contract) Ullmark with the big club, need Rask to ramp it up — quickly.

That will almost certainly have to happen on the fly, though. Still not at the halfway point of their season, the Bruins play three more times this month (at red hot Colorado, dreadful Arizona and concluding at Dallas) before playing another 11 games in February, 14 more in March and a staggering 15 in the 30 days of April.

"The schedule is so tough. There's not a whole lot of practice time," said Rask. "You can do all y ou want with a goalie coach and a few guys (shooting on him), but it's not easy to simulate a game situation.

"I'll just do my best and hopefully find my game."

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Phil Stacey, the Executive Sports Editor of The Salem News, covers the Boston Bruins for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at pstacey@salemnews.com or follow him on Twitter @PhilStacey_SN