No NHL goaltender has won back-to-back Vezina Trophies since Martin Brodeur in 2007-08. If that string is to stop at seven years in 2014-15, it will be on Boston Bruins backstop Tuukka Rask.
Forecasters who see any measure of merit in recent history can make a confident case for Rask to repeat his title. Since 2008-09, Boston’s system has doubtlessly helped him and Tim Thomas claim a combined three of the last six Vezinas.
In another one of those years, Rask turned in an NHL-best 1.97 goals-against average over 45 appearances as a rookie. Playing three-quarters of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 regular season, he coupled a 2.00 GAA with a .929 save percentage.
Based on that trend alone, rightly or wrongly, other contenders will likely need to bump him aside by force. Innumerable outside elements will need to coalesce to convince the league’s general managers not to at least file him under the three finalists.
En route to last year’s Vezina victory, Rask struck off a succession of residual doubts from previous years. With a game log of 58, he proved he could hold up as a bona fide starter for a ...
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Article written by Al Daniel
Will Boston Bruins Goalie Tuukka Rask Repeat as Vezina Trophy Winner in 2014-15?
September 1st, 2014 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
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