BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask returned to practice on Tuesday after taking a three-day leave of absence to attend to a
personal matter.“This is a family and we are a family and we take care of each
other when times are tough
http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-john-gibson-jersey ,” Rask said about the team he’s been with since 2006.The Bruins granted Rask the
leave of absence on Friday. Rask acknowledged the matter was related to his
family, but didn’t share details.“I have a job, my job is to be a hockey goalie
for the Boston Bruins,” he said Tuesday. “And I also have another job title,
that’s a family man, and this was a time that deep inside my heart I felt like I
needed to take time to be with my family and make things right so I could be
back here and focus on my job.”When asked if he felt unburdened after the time
off, he said “yes” and added “resigning (or) quitting the job wasn’t” something
he considered.The 31-year-old Rask is second on the Bruins’ all-time list in
games played (457) and wins (242). He’s 12 games and 11 wins from passing Tiny
Thompson for the franchise records. This season
Authentic Josh Manson Jersey , he’s struggled with a 4-4-0 record, .901 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average.But he didn’t draw a line between his
off-ice issues and what’s happened on the ice.“It hasn’t affected my job,” he
said. “I’m not going to make excuses that I played good games or bad games
because of my personal life. … Those are not easy decisions and things happen in
people’s lives that you kind of do some soul searching and try to seek the best
answer.”The Bruins won both games over the weekend. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak
stopped 77 of 79 shots in a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday
and a 4-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Boston is 10-5-2 and
tied for second place in the Atlantic Division.The Bruins won’t rush Rask into
game action. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Halak will start the next game on the road
against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.Rask will start either Friday at the
Dallas Stars or Saturday at the Arizona Coyotes.“He’s been here a long time,
he’s a big part of the team, so it’s good to see him back,” Cassidy said.
“Hopefully, the time away was what he needed to get squared away and he’s ready
to get back to work. That’s kind of the approach we’re going to take with him
and see how it plays out going forward.” PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins
will start their bid for a Stanley Cup three-peat at home.Sidney Crosby and Jake
Guentzel banked in goals off Craig Anderson minutes apart in the second
period
Ondrej Kase Jersey , Casey DeSmith stopped 34 shots and the Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 to clinch second place in the Metropolitan Division and
home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.Phil Kessel got his 34th
goal of the season and Patric Hornqvist pushed his career-high to 29 when he
beat Anderson late in the third period for the Penguins, who will host Columbus,
New Jersey or Philadelphia next week.Anderson finished with 19 saves but was
beaten twice from behind the goal line in the second period as the Senators lost
for the ninth time in 11 games.Ottawa and Pittsburgh met in the Eastern
Conference finals 10 months ago, with the Penguins winning on an overtime goal
in Game 7 before going on to beat Nashville for their second straight Cup. The
Senators hoped it would be a springboard to becoming perennial contenders.
Instead they will miss the postseason for the third time in five years.DUCKS 5,
STARS 3ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Jakob Silfverberg had a goal and two assists to
help Anaheim keep up its surge toward the postseason with its ninth win in 11
games.Josh Manson and Andrew Cogliano each had a goal and an assist for the
Ducks, who leapfrogged the Los Angeles Kings by one point for third place in the
Pacific Division.
