Tuukka Rask

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask leaves game after taking slapshot to the neck

Published Jan. 13, 2017 9:25 a.m. ET

Pete Blackburn

The Bruins' trip to Nashville for Thursday night's game against the Predators did not go the way they had hoped. Not only did the Bruins come up empty with a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Preds, but they also lost their starting goaltender in the process.

In the first period, Tuukka Rask took a Roman Josi slapper to an unprotected part of the body, seemingly the neck or the collarbone area. Rask immediately dropped to the ice and was clearly in a significant amount of pain. After play was stopped, he was tended to by a Bruins trainer and exited the game.

There wasn't an official update on Rask's condition after the game, though there seemed to be some optimism that it wasn't overly serious. According to the Boston Globe, Rask said "I'll be all right" after the game, while Bruins coach Claude Julien said "we'll see how he does."

Losing Rask for any amount of time would be a tough break for the Bruins, as he has arguably been their most important player through the first half of the season. The 29-year-old Finnish star has a .926 save-percentage and is top three in the NHL in goals against average (1.95), wins (21), and shutouts (5). The Bruins have just one regulation win this year without Rask between the pipes.

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Tuukka Rask

Boston Bruins

National Hockey League