Rask or Thomas?

Heading into the season it looked as if Rask would be the primary goaltender between the Boston pipes. Now, only 13 games into the season, it appears as if a controversy may be on our hands. No surprise is it to see Tim Thomas perform well. After all, he’s a Vezina trophy award winner and one of the best goalies to ever grace a Bruins uniform. What’s more surprising is Rask’s struggles this season relative to past performances.On a team that is 9-5-1, with only two goaltenders appearing in games this season, Rask has jumped out to an early 0-4-1 performance. For mathematically challenged fans out there, that puts Thomas’ stellar start to the season at 9-1, winning 8 straight before notching his first loss against Ottawa on Saturday, then rebounding with a 28 save shutout against the Devils on Monday. This was supposed to be the year in which the 23-year old Rask wrestled away the lead goalie reigns from the 36-year old Thomas, however, considering the records thus far in the season, it’s tough to sit Thomas.Wins and losses aside, statistically speaking, Rask isn’t playing that bad. In fact, Rask is currently ranked 10^th in Save Percentage at .923 (for the record, Thomas is 1^st at .960). However, Rask’s Goal’s Against Average is higher than league average at 2.75 (22^nd), Thomas is second in the league with a phenomenal 1.32 GAA. All in all, the Bruins face a fairly nice quandary, to start the young goalie with endless potential or let one of the best in the league produce for another year. Either ride through Rask’s mini-slump or put Thomas in net and play for today. Though the team is built to win now, it still may be best to keep sending Rask out on the ice with some regularity, as at 36 the course of a full NHL season can be grinding on older legs, and the Bruins may need Thomas fresh for a playoff push in a few months.