Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask returns from leave of absence in time for road trip

BOSTON -- A major player has returned to assume his role, but it may take some time before regularly scheduled programing resumes.

Tuukka Rask’s leave of absence ended when he practiced on Tuesday, and he was with the Bruins when they departed for a four-game road trip that begins Wednesday night against the Avalanche (10:05 p.m., NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5).

"I took three days, I’m back here, and I’m ready to battle with these [...]

BOSTON -- A major player has returned to assume his role, but it may take some time before regularly scheduled programing resumes.

Tuukka Rask’s leave of absence ended when he practiced on Tuesday, and he was with the Bruins when they departed for a four-game road trip that begins Wednesday night against the Avalanche (10:05 p.m., NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5).

“I took three days, I’m back here, and I’m ready to battle with these guys. I’m ready to move on now,” said Rask, whom the team announced on Friday was “granted a leave of absence relating to a personal matter.”

Rask won’t play until Friday at Dallas or Saturday at Arizona, though, and B’s coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that the so-far superior play of Jaroslav Halak, who signed a two-year contract over the summer as Rask’s projected backup, will factor into goaltending situations for at least the short-term future.

“One practice is a little unfair,” for Rask to be expected to face the Avs, Cassidy said, “and Jaro’s played well, so it’s a combination of those two things. It’ll be Friday or Saturday (before Rask plays); I just don’t know which game yet.

“We’ll probably look at getting (Rask) a certain amount of starts, but you’ve got to balance that with how well Jaro has played. I couldn’t tell you what’s going to happen.”

Halak won back-to-back home games over the weekend against the Maple Leafs (5-1 win, 37 saves) and Golden Knights (4-1, 40 saves), and now ranks second in the NHL in goals-against average (1.77) and saves percentage (.945).

Rask (4-4-0), inconsistent from the start of the season, last played on Thursday against the Canucks, when he relieved an ineffective Halak and was charged with the loss after allowing three goals on 14 shots in an 8-5 defeat.

Rask, who said he took his leave of absence to address a family matter, wouldn’t blame this year’s substandard stats (3.05 goals-against average, .901 saves percentage) on off-ice issues.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “It hasn’t affected my job. I’m not going to make excuses if I play good games or bad games.

“This was just time I felt deep inside that I needed to take (for) my family’s future.”

Rask expressed gratitude to the team for allowing him the break he needed “to take time with my family to make things right, so I could get back and focus on my job.

“I’ve never been more proud to be part of (the Bruins) family … This is a family. We are a family. We take care of each other when times are tough.”

Cassidy was happy on two fronts -- that Rask felt ready to return, and that the goaltending position is more settled. Daniel Vladar, 21 years old and with no NHL experience, backed up Halak over the weekend.

“He’s been here a long time,” the coach said of Rask, a 10th-year Bruin. “He’s a big part of the team, so it’s good to see him back.

“Hopefully, the time away was what he needed to get squared away, and he’s ready to go to work. That’s kind of the approach we’re going to take with him. We’ll see how it plays out going forward.”

AROUND THE BOARDS: With Brandon Carlo (upper body) the latest defenseman injured, the B’s called up Jakub Zboril from AHL Providence in order to have an extra blue-liner for the road trip. “When I got the call (Monday), I started sweating right away,” said Zboril, 21, a first-round draft pick in 2015 (No. 13 overall) and second-year pro who has never been recalled before. “I got so nervous, I felt it in my belly.” … Neither Carlo nor Charlie McAvoy (concussion) traveled with the team on Tuesday. Cassidy said McAvoy, who began skating on Friday, and Carlo, who hasn’t skated since he was injured on Saturday against the Leafs, could join the team during the trip … Kevan Miller (hand) is on the trip, but Cassidy said he doesn’t expect him to play until Thanksgiving Eve at Detroit … Rookie defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (concussion) participated briefly in Tuesday’s practice, wearing a non-contact jersey.