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Rask registers signature Stanley Cup Final victory

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For as badly as Boston was outplayed in the opening period of its 2-1 OT win on Saturday night, the Bruins probably had the best player on the ice -- Tuukka Rask.

The B’s goalie was outstanding. He allowed just one goal on 19 shots -- Boston was outshot by 15 in the frame -- and maintained composure even though he knew his team was under siege.

“We definitely were in survival mode there for a bit.,” he said. “It looked like they had more guys out there than we did.”

It was a signature victory for Rask, though he’s had at least one already this postseason. His 53-save OT stunner against Pittsburgh in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals comes to mind.

Game 2, though, was different. The stakes were higher, and the disparity in play was alarming.

The Bruins came out remarkably flat and could’ve been heading back to Boston down 0-2 in the series had the first period turned out differently. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa alone combined for 11 shots, and it felt as though Chicago was going for the kill.

But the ‘Hawks couldn’t do it, and Rask was the reason why.

“Tuukka pointed out that was a pretty terrible period by our team,” Chris Kelly explained. “If it wasn’t for Tuukka, it would have been a lot worse.”

Like almost anything Rask does, this win will be compared to what Tim Thomas did in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

But...was this win more impressive than any of Thomas’?

While Thomas was dominant throughout the ’11 series, he never stymied the Canucks while the Bruins were struggling. His wins all came in blowouts -- 8-1, 4-0, 5-2, 4-0 -- and Boston was never out-shot by more than eight in a single period.

All told, Rask finished with 33 saves on Saturday and played a huge role in wrestling home ice away from Chicago.

Three more performances like that, and he’ll have an entire library of signature wins.