Bruce Cassidy Not Concerned With 'Nagging' Injury For Tuukka Rask
BOSTON (CBS) -- Despite the four goals allowed by Tuukka Rask on Monday night, the Bruins' netminder played very well. But he didn't look great.
Rask was laboring at times to get up and move around in the late stages of Boston's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders, leading to some questions about his health status.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, though, is not particularly concerned.
"He's been dealing with some injuries all year. Obviously [he's] good enough to play. They're nagging," Cassidy said Tuesday morning of Rask's health issues.
Cassidy spoke of such nagging issues as common for just about everybody on the roster at this point in the year, and he noted that the whole team will get a rest on Tuesday.
"I'll have a better update on if there's going to be a potential issue down the road, but right now, he'll go in and get his treatment, be ready to go tomorrow I assume, unless I hear differently," Cassidy said. "Right now I don't think that there's any reason to believe that he won't be ready to go Thursday. So that's where we're at with Tuukka."
Cassidy added: "As for his injury, I don't believe that there's anything to worry about. If there is, then obviously we'll have to sort through that."
Last week in a radio interview, Rask said his health situation was "not as good as I would want to be," but that he was able to play. The 34-year-old missed more than a month of the season -- save for one brief appearance -- due to a back injury. He returned to make nine starts before the regular season ended, and he's started all seven playoff games for the Bruins thus far.
If Rask were to be unable to play, rookie Jeremy Swayman would get the call, with Jaroslav Halak in line to serve as Swayman's backup. That's a situation the Bruins will be prepared for, but Cassidy didn't sound like someone who was concerned about it actually needing to happen.
