Tuukka Rask Leads Boston Bruins Past St. Louis Blues

Nov 18, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center

(37) congratulates goalie

(40) after defeating the St. Louis Blues 2-0 at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins earned their second straight win Tuesday night at TD Garden, knocking off the red-hot St. Louis Blues, 2-0. Tuukka Rask was phenomenal as he put to rest any lingering concerns from the slow start to the season. He held his ground when the game was on the line. Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug were able to find the back of the net, handing the Blues just their second loss in 11 games.

Rask faced a total of 33 shots and stopped them all. The Blues, down 2-0 in the third, truly tested Rask. They fired 15 shots on the Boston cage, but none of them fooled Rask. The win marked his second straight. He’s now turned aside 66 of  the last 67 shots directed toward him. If the Bruins hope to ascend the Eastern Conference Standings, they’ll need Rask at his very best. There’s no doubting his elite talent. The Bruins could catch fire if he can maintain this successful level of play moving forward.

Bergeron fired home an unassisted goal at 5:45 of the first to put the Bruins up 1-0. Blues d-man Ian Cole shoveled an ill-advised pass out in front of his own net. Bergeron corralled it and beat Brian Elliot for his fifth marker of the season.

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Krug added an insurance goal in the second at 11:31. Loui Eriksson and Matt Bartkowski helped set up his third score of the season. The Bruins went up 2-0 and it was all they would need to secure two points and a win.

The Blues heavily out shot the Bruins, 35-17. While Rask deserves the majority of the credit for the win, Bartkowski’s efforts standout. Given his struggles this season, the fact that he logged over 20 minutes of ice time and finished with an assist and a plus-two rating is impressive, especially against a team of St. Louis’ caliber.

Milan Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg got themselves involved physically, leading the way with four hits each. The Bruins out hit the Blues, 25-16.

David Krejci returned from an extended injury layoff. He logged 17:15 of time on ice and had two shots on goal.

The Bruins will next take to the ice when they visit Columbus on Friday.