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BOSTON -- For the past two days, the Boston Bruins insisted their late-season funk was in the rearview mirror. There would be no more blown leads in the third period and no more lackluster starts. The skilled and physical Bruins would return.

Well, the Bruins kept their promises as they overcame an early Toronto Maple Leafs power-play goal and scored the next four goals, dominating the Leafs 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

David Krejci had a goal and two assists, Wade Redden had a goal and an assist and Nathan Horton and Johnny Boychuk both lit the lamp for the Bruins. Tuukka Rask looked solid between the pipes, making 19 saves, with James van Riemsdyk’s power-play goal in the opening period the only shot that beat him.

For the Leafs, James Reimer was under siege all night as the Bruins poured 40 shots on him.

Lucic-Krejci-Horton line clicks again: One of the big question marks heading into this series was whether Milan Lucic, Krejci and Horton could find their magic again. If Game 1 is any indication, the band is back together and the magic is there. In addition to Krejci’s three-point performance and Horton lighting the lamp, Lucic had two helpers and continued to look more like the Lucic who used a combination of grit, size and skating to earn two straight seasons of 20-plus goals. The chemistry was back as Horton and Lucic got to open spaces to benefit from Krejci’s playmaking skills, and Krejci looked a lot like the player who was a candidate for the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Bruins defense provides offensive boost: Prior to Game 1, coach Claude Julien lauded Redden for his recent play and puck-moving skills. Redden continued to impress with his goal and an assist, but the Bruins' entire defense did a great job of moving the puck and creating offense in Game 1. In addition to Boychuk's goal, Bruins defensemen helped in peppering Reimer and controlling neutral zone play.

Power play looks better: While the Bruins’ power play (1-for-5) can certainly still be better, it did convert once and moved the puck a lot better. The passes were crisp, and there was less hesitation. If that continues, the scoring production will increase.

Suspension coming for Ference? Andrew Ference could very well be sitting out a game or more after elbowing Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski in the head in the first period. No penalty was called, but the replay clearly shows an elbow to the head.

Bruins have two goals called back: Things could have been even worse for the Leafs if not for two Bruins goals being called back. The referees and replay officials got it right in calling back a Tyler Seguin shot that clearly rang off the post 1:10 into the second period. But Patrice Bergeron’s no-goal was a bit questionable as the referees claimed the whistle was blown before Bergeron pushed it into the net. But even if the refs were wrong, the rule states if they intended to blow it and didn’t do it in time, then it’s still not a goal.

Bad blood boils at end: In addition to Ference’s questionable hit to the head of Grabovski, there was plenty of hard hitting throughout the game. As time wound down in the third period and it was clear the Bruins would win, the Leafs decided to let the Bruins know they were still there, taking plenty of extra hits after the whistle and then stirring things up at the final buzzer. The result was a Chris Kelly-Leo Komarov fight. It should be a physical Game 2.

Hamilton and Peverley sit: Not surprisingly, Julien kept Dougie Hamilton in the press box as a healthy scratch. The defenseman struggled in his last few games of the regular season, and Julien seems to have opted to take the learning-from-up-top route he took with Seguin as a rookie to start the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. While Rich Peverley might have had an off season, one would think Julien would prefer playoff and Cup experience in the lineup instead of an inexperienced Kaspars Daugavins. But it was Daugavins playing with Kelly and Jaromir Jagr for Game 1.

Here’s what the rest of the lineup looked like:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Daugavins-Kelly-Jagr
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Ference-Boychuk
Redden-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- The Bruins have been searching for consistency as they try to recapture their identity in time for the Stanley Cup playoffs. But one hallmark of consistency recently has been the goaltending of Tuukka Rask.

Throw away the relief appearance he made in the 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, because no goalie was going to stop the bleeding of another mental collapse by the Bruins there. What can't be ignored, though, is that with a 30-save shutout in the Bruins' 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday, Rask has two shutouts in his past two starts.

"It's important for him, obviously, and what we've been through, I think a lot of players right now, you still see certain guys fighting the puck a little bit, but at the end of the day, your goaltender plays a big role in your success," head coach Claude Julien said of his goalie's recent play. "A game like tonight, if we don't have good goaltending, the minute you get a breakdown the puck could be in the back of your net. You need a guy to stand tall and be good, and you need a guy to go into the playoffs with confidence; hopefully that's what Tuukka's creating here."

Regardless of the inconsistency in front of him, Rask seems to be entering the zone that a team needs its goalie to be in for the playoffs. An even-keel approach is crucial for a goalie, and Rask is doing his best to fall back into that mindset.

"It's huge," Rask, who is now 19-9-4 with a 1.97 goals-against average and .930 save percentage, said. "I think for a goalie really the biggest challenge always is to play your style and trust in your instincts. You have to play the game the way you always play it, no matter how each game goes. If you have a bad game, you have to go to [the] next game, and it's a challenge to not change anything, but you have to stay with your game still. That's the challenge. Right now, I think I'm able to do that, and I'm looking forward to that challenge in the playoffs."

As for the shutouts, Rask is just happy to have his game where it needs to be to help his team win and build confidence going into the playoffs.

"It's better than letting in five or six goals, for sure," Rask joked. "I don't know. Every game is different. Sometimes you just get the bounces. Today, they had a post or two. Sometimes, the puck just bounces your way, and sometimes it doesn't. I just try to feel good about myself every single game and feel comfortable out there. If it's a shutout or not, it doesn't matter as long as you play good and you win like today."

BOSTON -- Following the Bruins’ 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday, goalie Tuukka Rask, who allowed three goals on 24 shots, did what he always does after a bad game, facing the music and telling the media that he could have been better. But Rask wasn’t the only one unhappy with his play, as coach Claude Julien didn’t pull any punches when asked about his team allowing two power-play goals.

“You’re not going to point a finger, but your goaltender’s got to make some saves too at the right time,” Julien said Saturday. “We needed some timely saves.”

After Julien found out that his goalie was admitting fault and knew he could be better, the coach decided to give Rask a chance to redeem himself right away and started him for the second straight day in Sunday's matinee against Florida. Not only did Rask hold the Panthers’ power play off the scoreboard (0-for-2), he earned his fourth shutout of the season with a 28-save performance that helped the Bruins snap a four-game losing streak.

Julien, who has been critical of Rask’s lack of timely saves at other points this season, was quick to credit his goalie for bouncing back with a perfect performance in the 3-0 win.

“I thought after last night, especially how he stood tall and said, ‘I should’ve had a couple of goals,’ I thought it was important for me to put him back and say ‘here’s an opportunity to go out and battle back and the quicker the better’ and he responded well,” Julien said. “I texted him right after the game last night and said, ‘You’re back in there tomorrow’. So I was glad to see that he played extremely well and that shows a lot about his character.”

Rask’s teammates also were impressed with his ability to put a tough game behind him only a day later.

“Tuukka’s got a lot of character, and he’s played well all year for us, and today was a perfect example,” forward Patrice Bergeron said. “He made some huge saves. Even in the first, early on he made some great pad saves on the rebound. When you see a play like that, it gives us energy to keep going to play in front of him the way we should, and it was great to see his performance this afternoon.”

Rask was asked after the win if it motivates him when Julien is openly critical of him. As expected, he was a bit uncomfortable answering the question but acknowledged that it does.

“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I mean, yeah, it does,” Rask said. “I wasn’t happy about my performance. So I’m glad I’m on the same page as the coach. The second goal was a slap shot five-hole and the third was short-side low blocker and I don’t let in those goals if I’m on top of my game. It’s 1-1 going into the third and I let in a goal, 2-1 and then another and 3-1, so that’s unusual for me and I wasn’t happy about that.”

Rask said it was key for him to hold the Panthers off the scoreboard not just for Sunday but also for his confidence going forward. He agrees with Julien that he must make those timely saves every game.

“I like getting shutouts, but it was a tight game,” Rask said. “They had some chances and I’m more happy that I didn’t let in a goal and let them back in the game. That hasn’t always been the case for me this year and that’s something to take from this game to build on.”

With only four games left in the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin April 30, it would be easy for Rask to start looking ahead. But he is doing his best to isolate each game and take lessons from them that he can use to be on top of his game when it matters most.

“I think for me the best results come if I just focus on one game at a time,” Rask said. “I can’t think of the future too much. I’m just trying to feel good every game and not worry too much about that.”

Still, he couldn’t hide the anticipation that is building up. Rask hasn’t entered the playoffs as the No. 1 goalie since 2010. After helping the Bruins beat the Sabres in six games in that season's Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Rask and the Bruins unraveled in the second round, blowing a 3-0 series lead and losing to the Flyers in seven games. Rask was asked if he thinks back to that historic collapse as motivation now as the playoffs approach.

“Absolutely. You don’t erase those memories too easily,” Rask said with a smile. “I’m hungry to get more and every year we all want to win the Cup. I can’t wait to start that again.”

BOSTON -- After watching goaltending partner Anton Khudobin make 26 saves in a 2-0 shutout at Buffalo on Sunday and then stymie the Senators with a 45-save performance in a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Tuesday, Tuukka Rask was back between the pipes Thursday against the New Jersey Devils trying to make up for what he admitted were not his best performances in his previous two starts. Rask gave up seven goals in two games and said he knew he had to do better.

Well, with the Boston Bruins allowing 40 shots on net to the Devils on Thursday, Rask needed to be more than good. If not for a brilliant 40-save performance by Rask, Jaromir Jagr’s first goal with the Bruins in his debut with the team would have gone to waste. But Rask held the fort and backstopped Boston to its third straight win with a 1-0 shutout -- Rask’s third of the season -- that kept Boston one point behind the Northeast Division-leading Canadiens, whom they will face in Montreal on Saturday.

“He was good tonight; he was one of the reasons we won obviously,” said coach Claude Julien, who hasn’t been shy in calling out Rask recently. “He made the big saves when he had to and kept us in the lead at times when they could have gotten themselves back into the game. He was good for us tonight, and sometimes a little bit of rest and a little bit of work with the goalie coach is what goaltenders need.”

After losing his previous two starts and having a five-day layoff, there was the chance of rust in Rask's first game back. But Rask said he was fine and fed off some posts hit by the Devils.

“I felt comfortable. I think a couple of extra days of work with the goalie coach [Bob Essensa] helped,” said Rask, who is now 16-5-4 with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. “I felt like my angles were pretty good and just one of those nights you get a couple of good bounces too. I’ll take it.”

There was no shortage of rubber flying Rask's way, which often can help a goalie trying to find his groove. New Jersey outshot the Bruins 17-6 in the first period and then 12-7 in the third for a total of 40-26. The Devils peppered Rask and had their way with the Bruins' defense, which failed to close lanes and get the puck out of their zone properly.

“I was saying to [Khudobin] in the first intermission that I would rather take 17 shots than three or four shots to just kind of get going,” Rask said. “Even though they had 17 shots, there were a lot of shots from the outsides so it was good to get that feeling, feel for the puck and stuff like that.”

Rask said that while he wanted to be playing, as he always does following a bad start, he also didn’t mind seeing his friend Khudobin find success in his past two starts.

“I’d just rather go out there and just get my mind right during the game,” Rask said. “Dobby played great in Buffalo, played great against Ottawa so I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself sitting out there. I was feeling good for him. He’s kind of in that groove and he’s playing really good, so it was good to watch him for a couple of outings there and I felt good out there today.”

Now it’s on to another tilt with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at what promises to be a raucous Bell Centre. For the fourth consecutive time, first place in the Northeast Division will be at stake when these longtime rivals meet in what is the final matchup of the regular season.

Rask has started all three meetings with the Habs. After making 20 saves in a 2-1 win at the Bell Centre on Feb. 6, Rask has struggled against the Canadiens, losing his past two starts and allowing nine goals on 54 shots. After Thursday's shutout, Rask said that maybe he has let himself get too amped up for these rivalry games.

“I’m not going to get excited at all because I’ve tried that and it didn’t work too well last time,” Rask said. “They’re always exciting games and they’re always high emotion games so for a goalie it’s a tough job to just keep yourself calm and try to just focus on stopping the puck and not getting all hyped up. So I’m just trying my best not to get carried away. I won the game there the last time we played so I’m just going to look at that and try to trick my brain that I was awesome last game and keep it going that way.”

Following the past meeting, a 6-5 shootout loss to the Habs, Rask lost his cool, slammed and broke his stick over the net and then fell to the ice in a rage. Rask knows the Bell Centre crowd will be all over him and his teammates from the second they hop on the ice Saturday, but he says he will embrace the atmosphere.

“They’re always all over everybody, so whatever,” Rask answered when asked if he expected some ribbing from Habs fans over his outburst on March 27. “It’s a great atmosphere there, you know that, so it’ll be a fun Saturday night. A lot of drunk people out there I bet.”

BOSTON -- Is Bruins coach Claude Julien trying to create or quell a goalie controversy between starter Tuukka Rask and backup Anton Khudobin?

Julien's recent comments regarding Rask and his choice to start Khudobin two straight games last week started some rumblings that Khudobin may be given a chance to challenge Rask for more starts and were curious to say the least.

After a 23-save performance in the Bruins’ 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Monday night, Rask is 15-4-3 and second in the NHL in goals-against average (1.90) and save percentage (.928). He also has two shutouts and could be considered for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie. Khudobin has been good as well going 6-3-0 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. While Rask had lost his previous two starts, he has by no means been the problem with the Bruins' recent lackluster play prior to Monday night’s win.

That’s why it was rather surprising to hear Julien call out Rask for not making “timely saves” following the Bruins’ third-period collapse in a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg last Tuesday. But even more surprising was Julien’s response when asked about Rask making timely saves Monday.

“Yeah, that’s what we need every once in a while,” Julien said. “Their goaltender [James Reimer] did the same thing at their end.”

Once in a while? Rask clearly has given the Bruins timely saves and more on most occasions this season. As center Patrice Bergeron pointed out following the game, the Bruins' recent struggles were the result of a lack of focus from his teammates in front of Rask.

“I think it’s about everyone picking it up, and I think that’s not just for [Rask], but for ourselves, for us as a team,” Bergeron said. “We had to be better overall, and we still need to better. I think it was a step forward. We still have some work to do, and that’s the way it goes. You’ve just got to keep fighting through it, but we have a lot of confidence in [Rask], and he does the job, so we’ve got to do it in front of him as well.”

Later in his postgame remarks, Julien again was asked about Rask and whether his performance was back to the dominant play he has shown for most of the season. The Bruins' bench boss got a bit defensive as he seemed to realize the effect his comments could have in the media and among fans.

“I don’t think Tuukka’s been bad at all guys,” Julien said. “I hope people didn’t read into Khudobin playing two games, because I think Khudobin deserved to play two games. He’s played well all season long, he played well in Ottawa, and this was an opportunity to get him two games in a row and that’s all it was. We’ve got a busy week this week and I needed Tuukka fresh and that’s all it was. So certainly had nothing to do with that.

“And Tuukka to me has been good and he’s never been bad, he’s been great and he’s been good. But you know, we’ve gotten some pretty good games out of him and I don’t think we can necessarily point the finger at him for losing any games for us this year.”

Julien then was asked how he felt Rask -- who to this point has only said he didn’t blame himself for the late goals in Winnipeg -- may be dealing with his coach's comments. Julien cited last season when Rask and Tim Thomas split the goaltending duties as an example.

“I don’t know, I think it’s one of those things that everybody reads it whichever way they can. And you know that from the goaltender last year,” Julien said.

Rask basically has taken the high road since Julien’s comments in Winnipeg. But one has to wonder if Julien is trying to light more of a fire under his netminder by starting a controversy or if he is simply being the blunt coach he always has been? If Rask continues to play the way he did Monday and for the better part of this season, we may never know as such comments would be completely out of place.

In a piece for ESPN Insider, Craig Custance looks at the play of Tuukka Rask and his contract situation with the Bruins. Rask, who is playing on a one-year, $3.5 million deal, is a restricted free agent after the season. Here is part of what Custance writes (to read, the whole piece, click here -- Insider access required):

In his first full season as the unquestioned No. 1 goalie in Boston with Tim Thomas completely gone, Rask continues to handle everything thrown at him with the same mix of confidence and composure that gave his teammates every reason to expect this is exactly how things would play out this season.

Heading into this shortened season, Rask was really the only question mark on a team that effectively rolls four lines and has one of the best defensemen in the game in Zdeno Chara. He was only a question mark to those outside the Boston dressing room. Inside, there was no doubt.

"He's a guy that I don't think I've scored on in practice the last two years," said Bruins forward Gregory Campbell said. "Everybody's known he's had the ability to be the No. 1 goaltender, he's patiently waited for his opportunity and really handled this situation well. He learned the most he could from Timmy and really is a guy supportive of everybody in the room and handled the success of the team well and put the success of the team ahead of himself."

Now comes the payoff -- in terms of recognition and, eventually, money. GM Peter Chiarelli has to find a way to keep his most important expiring contract. Rask, earning $3.5 million this year, is a restricted free agent after this season and getting him signed becomes one of the most crucial jobs for Chiarelli this season.

It won't be cheap.

Click HERE to read the full piece from Custance.

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien called it “fishing” for an angle when asked about goaltender Tuukka Rask's first game against the Philadelphia Flyers since the devastating collapse in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Boston gained a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with Rask as the team’s starting goaltender. Philadelphia, however, won the next four games -- including rallying from a 3-0 Game 7 deficit -- en route to a series victory.

Then-Bruins goalie Tim Thomas struggled with a hip injury late that season, so Boston relied on Rask in the playoffs. The young goaltender outdueled the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan Miller in the first round before the Bruins faced the Flyers.

With Rask in net, Boston won the first three games by the scores of 5-4 (OT), 3-2 and 4-1 before the team imploded and lost the next four games. Rask was tired and couldn't steal one of those four games, in which he gave up a total of 15 goals (a 3.75 goals-against average).

In 2011, the Bruins had their revenge and swept the Flyers in four games in the second round of the playoffs with Thomas in net. Including those games and eight regular-season matchups, Rask has had to watch a total 12 games against the Flyers from the bench.

Until Saturday.

Rask posted his second shutout of the season with 23 saves to help Boston to a 3-0 win over the Flyers at TD Garden. After the game, he said the 2010 collapse did not serve as any motivation.

“It’s in the past,” Rask said. “As I’ve said before, we won the whole thing the year after. Things happen in hockey, and for a goalie, if you start thinking that certain matchups are better for you than others, you’ve lost half the battle. It was just a game, like any other.

“I won three games in that playoff series, too, but too bad I just lost the last four. It’s hockey. Things happen in hockey. That year, it was Philly. It happens.”

It really isn’t about just one game against the Flyers. Rask has had to prove that he can handle the workload as a true No. 1 now that Thomas is a thing of the past in Boston. Rask has been outstanding this season, posting a 12-2-3 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The shutout was the 13th of his career.

The Bruins are two games shy of the halfway point of this lockout-shortened, 48-game season, and Rask’s play has helped Boston become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

“I feel good,” Rask said. “Taking the last game [against Toronto] off, it was good to get a little rest, but I’ve felt good throughout these games. It’s going to get busier and busier, so I think it’s really good to keep both goalies going.”

Rask didn’t have to be at his best on Saturday because the defense in front of him was great. When the final buzzer sounds, and your team’s goalie finished with a shutout, it’s an indication of the overall defensive play.

“Really good, the best so far this year,” he said. “We did a great job.”

Rask said he could see every shot and could make the save cleanly or control the rebound. Philadelphia didn’t create many quality scoring chances, but when they did, Rask was ready. In the third period, the Flyers had 11 shots, and despite seeing only 12 in the first two periods, Rask was sharp in the final 20 minutes.

“It’s never easy, but whenever you don’t see that much traffic, or that many shots in the game, it’s kind of mentally tougher to stay sharp,” Rask said. “But when they got those shots, I felt pretty comfortable.”

Bruins forward Tyler Seguin saved a shutout for Rask -- literally -- in the waning minutes of regulation. The Bruins were on a power play when the Flyers created a short-handed opportunity. Rask came out of the net to charge a loose puck, but Philadelphia gained control and shot at the open net. Seguin sprawled out on the ice to make the save and preserve the shutout.

“That was Tyler? I thought it was Dougie [Hamilton]. OK, it was great, great,” Rask said with a laugh. “He was telling me he would have caught the guy when I sprinted out of the net. It’s good to see he’s got my back and he’s got those goalie skills, too. It’s good to see. You’ve got to keep it exciting, right?”

If there were any doubts about Rask as the No. 1 goaltender in Boston, he’s erased those so far this season. There are still 26 games remaining, including what should be a deep run into the postseason for the Bruins.

It won't be his shutout performance against the Flyers on Saturday that will stand out but his entire body of work in 2013. With Rask, it really is about the present and not the past.

The same goes for the defense that protects him.

“I don’t know if I can say, ‘back on track’ until I see it on a consistent basis,” Julien said of his team’s defense. “Today was probably the first day I felt much better about our game without the puck in our defensive zone. We didn’t give them much; they didn’t have a ton of scoring chances, but obviously we've got two tough games [coming up] with Ottawa and Pittsburgh on the road, and we’ll need that kind of game to win those.”

BOSTON -- After watching his team lose two straight as goalie Tuukka Rask allowed eight goals in those two games, Bruins head coach Claude Julien decided to throw backup Anton Khudobin in to stop the losing streak against Northeast Division rival Toronto on Thursday. The move paid off as Khudobin made 25 saves to help the Bruins earn a 4-2 win. With the win, Khudobin improved to 4-1-0 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. With each solid performance Khudobin turns in, he continues to build his team's confidence in him.

"That's what you want to get from your backup goaltender," Julien said. "He played well tonight. That second goal, you could see he was mad, he felt he should have had it, but he made some real good saves throughout the whole game. I thought he was solid. It certainly makes our team feel better when you know no matter who you put in net, they're going to give you a solid performance."

Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg echoed his coach's sentiments and marveled at Khudobin's ability to step up in spot duty.

"We have all the faith in him that he can come in and get the job done," Seidenberg said. "He showed us early on that he was a good goalie and that he'd be ready when we needed him, and he keeps doing that. He communicates with us out there and it's a credit to him that he can come in sometimes after not playing for a while and do what he does. When you're a defenseman I know after not playing a few games I am rusty and it takes a bit, but goalies are different and that's Anton -- he just comes in ready to go."

Khudobin told the media after the game that his confidence is growing every game. He credited his teammates as well as goaltending partner Rask.

"I think every game, I have good confidence," Khudobin said. "You know, just my teammates always helping me before the game, after the game. Just try to play my game. Tuuks, he helps me too."

Khudobin wasn't about to take all the credit for stopping the two-game skid.

"Of course, it's a big win for everybody. ... We played a good third period, and it's just a good win for all of us."

Khudobin was then asked how he felt about his role as backup thus far.

"Good. Everything is fine. Life is good," he said with a smile.

And it will continue to be if he can keep showing his teammates he's always ready to jump in and do his job.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- While Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien wouldn’t confirm who his starting goalie would be Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, backup Anton Khudobin, indicated that he will get the call between the pipes.

“I’m playing tomorrow,” Khudobin told ESPNBoston.com following an optional skate for the team Friday.

That would spell some relief for number one goalie Tuukka Rask, who has started the last five games. But with Rask in a zone right now, winning all five of those games to push his record to 11-1-2 on the season with a 1.82 goals-against average and .933 save percentage, there is also the chance that could break Rask’s groove. As head coach Claude Julien -- who despite being pressed by the media, wouldn’t confirm Khudobin as the starter Saturday -- pointed out Friday, it’s a fine balance for him and his coaching staff. They want to keep Rask at his best, but also give him rest during the current run that sees the Bruins play 33 games in 60 days.

“I want to utilize both goalies at some point and as you know Tuukka right now is playing extremely well and we’re happy with that,” Julien said. “But at some point we know that it’s impossible to ride Tuukka through this whole thing and right now we’re depending on both of them. It’s a feel and it’s also about making the right decisions at times. As far as what I’ve seen from Khudobin, he’s been good and we certainly don’t have a concern about using both goaltenders.

But you certainly have a number one who is playing very well and you don’t want him to lose that groove and you make decisions on that and try to keep him fresh and sharp just like the other guy.”

As for Khudobin, who has been solid in his three starts going 2-1-0 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .905 save percentage, he’ll be ready whenever Julien calls on him.

“I’ve been backup before and I know what it takes,” Khudobin said. “So it’s day-by-day and if coach is going to give you the chance then go out and play and if not always be ready at practice.”

BOSTON -- As he has throughout this five-game win streak, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask stood on his head to pick his team up on a night when they definitely weren't on their game and appeared to suffer from fatigue. Rask made 30 big saves in a 2-1 Bruins overtime win that definitely could've gone the other way. Rask stopped some breakaways, and he turned away point-blank chances in overtime. More and more, he appears to be settling into a zone.

"That's what we've tried to do, get him in the groove again with the games spread out," head coach Claude Julien said. "He's feeling good, so there was no hesitation putting him in tonight. He did a great job again. There were some point-blank shots there from the slot area that on a lot of occasions you probably would have seen a goal, but he stood tall, he challenged well and made those timely saves."

With Rask spending time on the bench as a backup to two-time Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas for the better part of the past four seasons, many wondered if the Finnish netminder could jump into the No. 1 goalie job and handle the workload. But he's silencing the doubters and reaffirming the faith his teammates had in him all along.

"He's playing great," defenseman Andrew Ference said of his goalie, who is now 11-1-2 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. "I don't think he's really surprising anybody. He's been solid for us for a number of years and just kind of waiting patiently. I know everybody wanted the best for him, so it's just really nice to see him doing what I think everybody hoped and expected he would do, but he's living up to expectations, which is not easy to do, especially in that position."

While Rask is technically sound and usually well-positioned, he can still react, as his predecessor Thomas did so many times, with an acrobatic save. That's why the Bruins have the confidence that if they get caught out of position or there is a scramble in front, Rask will be there for the save.

"He's so quick, he's been doing that all year, every game," said winger Nathan Horton, who helped Rask out by scoring the first Bruins goal.

The workload will get heavier this weekend with the Bruins hosting Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon and then the first-place Canadiens on Sunday night. But Rask is showing he's up to the task and ready for anything.

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron scored the overtime winner with 1:21 left and Tuukka Rask made 30 saves as the Bruins won their fifth straight to pull into sole possession of second place in the Northeast Division. Nathan Horton had the other goal for the Bruins.

Ottawa got a goal from Jim O'Brien and a brilliant performance from goalie Robin Lehner, who made 44 saves.

Bergeron's grit gets winner: Bergeron's game winner typifies his all-around gritty style. Bergeron as always was down low, paying the price, and was in the right place at the right time to tip home the goal. Bergeron now has a goal and two assists in his past two games, and four goals and 10 assists on the season. But points are only half of arguably the best two-way player's game, which was on display once again Thursday.

Goalie duel: When eyeing this game on the calendar two weeks ago, fans may have been excited to see two early-season Vezina Trophy candidates go at it in Rask and Craig Anderson, but Anderson went down with a sprained ankle last week and instead it was Lehner who faced the Bruins Thursday. The Swedish netminder didn't disappoint, as he almost stole a win from the Bruins with some amazing goaltending. At the other end, Rask was excellent once again as he won his fifth straight start. Two of the biggest saves came in overtime as Rask made two huge stops on an Ottawa power play early in the extra frame.

Thursday night special for Horton: Last Thursday at Tampa Bay, Nathan Horton scored two goals to help his team to a 4-2 win. A week later Horton lit the lamp 5:48 into the second period for his seventh goal of the season. Horton now has three goals and an assist in his past four games, and he continues to have a solid comeback from his past two concussion-plagued seasons.

Lucic's hard work paying off: Milan Lucic might not be scoring goals at the pace fans would like, and he did take a penalty with 31.6 seconds left in regulation, but he deserves credit for how hard he's been working out there this season. Lucic has still been a physical presence and he is doing the little things to help create opportunities for his linemates. A perfect example of that was not just the assist he got on Horton's second-period goal, but what he did to start that play -- walking the blue line and saving the puck from leaving the offensive zone. Lucic now has a goal and two assists in his past three games, but it's the little things that have the big winger making a difference right now.

Penalty-kill streak snapped: The Bruins finally gave up a power-play goal after killing off 27 straight. O'Brien's power-play tally at 14:38 of the second period was the first power-play goal the Bruins allowed since Feb. 6 in a 2-1 win at Montreal. That was their longest streak since they killed off 28 straight from March 1-11 in 2007. Nonetheless, the Bruins came up big when it counted most, killing off a penalty to start overtime.

Letdown hits in second period: The Bruins outshot Ottawa 18-15 in the middle frame, but there were plenty of mental lapses coach Claude Julien couldn't have been happy with. Bad penalties (including the dreaded too many men on the ice), errant passes and a more passive approach in their own end made for a period they were lucky to come out of tied at 1-1. After the morning skate, Julien discussed the infamous letdown that hits teams in their first game back after a long road trip, and it appeared to plague the Bruins in the second period. Thankfully they recovered for the win.

Roster remains the same: There were no changes in the lineup Thursday as Julien kept his forward and defensive pairings the same. Here's what the lineup looked like:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Chris Bourque-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- The Bruins may be riding a four-game win streak into tonight's Northeast Division tilt with the Senators, but they realize that the first game back after a long road trip (4-1-0) has the potential for a letdown. The Bruins are a solid home squad at 4-1-1, but teams tend to fall into a dangerous comfort zone their first game back from the road, and it baffles NHL coaches.

"If I had the answer I'd correct it, but number one I think it's been a thing that's boggled the minds of coaches for years," Bruins heads coach Claude Julien said following his team's game day skate Thursday.

With the Senators and Bruins both tied with 26 points and chasing Montreal, who is three points ahead of them, the Bruins can not afford to fall victim to this phenomenon.

"We gotta stay away from that. We realize tonight that we're playing a team that's in our division and there's a bunch of us in the Northeast that are battling for top spots. We're all bunched up. So these games mean a lot and we just can't afford to fall into that trap. It's as simple as that."

Lines remain the same -- There shouldn't be any changes to the lineup tonight and Tuukka Rask should get his fifth straight start between the pipes. Julien was asked about the way in which he is monitoring Rask's rest.

"I think I'll have an even better idea going through this month, but right now he's a guy that's had lots of rest in those first two months because as you know our games have been spread out," Julien said. "So he's certainly not tired and I certainly don't want to bring him to that stage. So right now you have to realize he's also gotta get into a groove, and with those games and the three days rest he had and putting in the other goaltender, now you're talking about almost five to six days off and he's gotta get back into his groove again. So it's a balance."

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Goalie Tuukka Rask is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season unless the Boston Bruins lock him into a long-term deal before then. Currently, there’s nothing to report.

“I don’t know, probably not,” Rask said after the team’s practice Wednesday morning at Ristuccia Arena. “I haven’t heard anything too crazy, yet, but we’ll see. Good thing I don’t have to talk to the GM, I’ve got an agent for that.”

Rask, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Bruins last June, and general manager Peter Chiarelli has said the organization would like to extend Rask’s contract and that remains the most likely scenario. Rask, who is in line for a raise on the $3.5 million he will make this season, said he is not focused on his future.

“No, not really,” he said. “You have to stay hungry no matter what. If you have a big contract, you still have to play. If you don’t, you still have to play. I just try not to think about it too much.”

If he is not signed before July, Rask will able to field offers from other teams. The Bruins, of course, would have the right to match any offer sheet he gets under the NHL’s restricted free agency rules.

With Tim Thomas taking the year off, Rask has been outstanding this season as the true No. 1 goalie in Boston. He’s 10-1-2 (best record in the NHL) with a 1.89 goals-against average (fourth) and a .930 save percentage (tied for fourth).

“We’re happy with what Tuukka’s done,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “That seemed to be a question mark in a lot of people’s minds and hopefully he’s answered those critics.”

Rask played in 13 of the team’s 16 games this season and he’s comfortable with the workload.

“If you prepare yourself mentally the right way it’s not going to matter,” he said. “Obviously, if you’re playing good you want to play every night and keep playing good.”

Goaltending partner Anton Khudobin is 2-1-0 in his three starts and he’ll likely get the nod at some point in the next three games, especially with back-to-back games this weekend.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of rest for me, too,” Rask said. “There’s a lot of back-to-backs coming up, so I think it’s important for both of us to stay sharp.”

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Heading into last weekend, the plan was for Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to get the nod between the pipes against the Lightning on Saturday and then for Anton Khudobin to start at Buffalo on Sunday. But when the blizzard shut down the city of Boston and forced the Bruins to postpone Saturday's game, it was thought by many that Rask would be in net at Buffalo on Sunday since he would have had four days rest after making 20 saves in a 2-1 win at Montreal on Feb. 6. But head coach Claude Julien stuck with his plan, and Khudobin started at Buffalo on Sunday, making 25 saves in a 3-1 win.

Rask would get the nod the following game and looked a bit rusty, letting in some questionable goals in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.

On Thursday, before he and his team departed for Buffalo for their game against the Sabres on Friday, Rask brushed off any ideas that having six days between starts was the reason for his performance on Tuesday.

“I don’t think that at all and I don’t think I’d say rusty at all but I felt uncomfortable at times,” said Rask, who is now 6-1-2 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. “You don’t get the start you want and those shots you want to make you feel good. Then the puck’s all over the place and a few knuckleballs and stuff like that so you don’t feel like you’re in it. I feel like it was just one of those games I didn’t feel comfortable. It was a battle and at times you just need to battle through it, and I’m glad we got a point out of it.”

Rask has already put Tuesday behind him and is focused on Friday’s game, which he is expected to start.

“I think every game you gotta shake off somehow,” Rask said. “I don’t think I was brutal. I let in one bad goal and that happens. We got a point though and you have to be happy with that.”

While Rask wasn’t blaming the schedule, he did say the layoff has taken the Bruins by surprise a bit. The Bruins ended up having almost a week between games in what is a condensed 48-game schedule, and have been lucky thus far with a few three- or even four-day gaps between games. But as Rask pointed out, the schedule will get really busy in March. They need to take advantage of the rest they’re getting now.

“I feel good but I think the schedule has felt a little weird for us because we almost feel like it’s been a regular 82-game schedule with a lot of days off thus far,” Rask said. “Obviously that canceled game last week was an exception and we got seven days off almost, but still it’s been weird in that regard. We’ve got a lot of rest and that’s good, but I don’t think it’s something anybody expected to happen. But on the other hand, we know it will catch up with us and it’s going to get busy in March. So right now we need to get every point we can because in March it’s going to be crazy.”

Tuukka Rask had another brilliant performance with 20 saves, David Krejci and Tyler Seguin both scored within the first 2:05 of the third period to erase a 1-0 Montreal lead, and the Bruins maintained first place in the Northeast Division with a 2-1 win at Montreal's raucous Bell Centre. Krejci also added an assist on Seguin's goal and Seguin did the same on Krejci's game winner. P.K. Subban scored for the Habs and goalie Carey Price did his job, stopping 21 of 23 Bruins shots.

Rask paves the path: If not for Rask, the Bruins might have been trying all sorts of line changes in the second period. The Bruins were held without a shot until 11:41 into the opening frame, but Rask was up for the task, as he helped his team stem the opening charge of momentum from an amped Habs squad and rocking Bell Centre. The Finnish netminder stopped numerous breakaways and odd-man rushes early on and gave his teammates a chance to find their game and eventually push back. Rask has had to bail his team out a few times already this season, and while the Bruins don't necessarily want to make that a habit, they have to be pleased to know they once again have a goalie who gives them a chance even when they start the game flat.

Julien with a Jack Adams move: Claude Julien won the 2008-09 Jack Adams award as NHL coach of the year, and since then he has gone on to coach his team to a Stanley Cup and, most recently, surpass Don Cherry for career wins behind the Bruins bench. On Wednesday, Julien showed once again why he has become such a successful coach, as he decided to shuffle his lines heading into the third period to spark a dormant offense. Julien had Seguin and Nathan Horton switch spots, putting Seguin with Krejci and Milan Lucic, and Horton with Patrice Bergeron and Gregory Campbell. The move paid instant dividends, as Seguin and Krejci scored consecutive goals to give the Bruins the lead. That changed the tempo of the game, and while the Habs had more scoring chances in the final period, the Bruins took back the momentum and confidence.

Seguin finally breaks through: For the last week or so, Seguin had been a focal point with the media and fans as many wondered what happened to the young gun who had a breakout season last year in leading his team in points and goals. But as Seguin and Julien have repeatedly said, Seguin wasn't playing bad hockey. Their patience paid off as Seguin got his first non-empty net goal, which may finally open the floodgates for Seguin going forward.

Power failure again: The Bruins can brush it off as much as they want -- and, yes, they have found ways to win (even a Stanley Cup in 2011) despite the fact they had an anemic power play -- but they really need to improve on the man-advantage. In a tight goaltending battle like the one Price and Rask waged Wednesday, teams need to take advantage of every power play they can get, and the Bruins -- who went 0-for-4 and are now 3-for-35 on the season -- did anything but, looking better when they were short-handed.

Roster changes as injury bug hits: Besides the big change Julien made heading into the third period, he was forced to juggle his lines heading into the game thanks to the injury bug that is hitting his team right now. With Brad Marchand (undisclosed injury), Daniel Paille (upper body) and Shawn Thornton (concussion) all out, Julien had a much different forwards group heading in. Here's what the lineup looked like to start the game:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Tyler Seguin
Gregory Campbell-Patrice Bergeron-Nathan Horton
Chris Bourque-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Lane MacDermid-Ryan Spooner-Jamie Tardif

Defense
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton
Adam McQuaid-Andrew Ference

Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin