Tuukka Rask vs Tim Thomas
- Thread starter Felidae
- Start date
Rask, and it's not close. His prime was at least twice as long and already at 22 beat Thomas in the middle of his peak. The only thing Thomas has going for him is winning the Cup + Conn Smythe as a starter which Rask never quite matched.
Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
ON3M4N
Ignores/60 = Elite
I think you'll find most Bruins fans would give the nod to Thomas because he has the cup as a starter. That and a section of Bruins fans blame every playoff series loss on Rask. Even if you look at the 2013 collapse they'll blame Rask, but ignore the lack of production from the Bruins top offensive guys. Its actually kind of interesting when you look at Thomas stats during their cup winning playoff run, and Rask in 2013.
2011 Cup Win (Thomas)
1.98 GAA / .940 SV% / 4 SO
Goal Support - 3.24 GF/G
2013 Cup Loss (Rask)
1.88 GAA / .940 SV% / 3 SO
Goal Support - 2.95 GF/G
I personally would say Rask, but I'm also what they call a "Rask fanboy"
2011 Cup Win (Thomas)
1.98 GAA / .940 SV% / 4 SO
Goal Support - 3.24 GF/G
2013 Cup Loss (Rask)
1.88 GAA / .940 SV% / 3 SO
Goal Support - 2.95 GF/G
I personally would say Rask, but I'm also what they call a "Rask fanboy"
BigBadBruins7708
Registered User
Not exactly accurate. He took over the starting job for a Tim Thomas who was recovering from hip flexor surgery.
At their best, Thomas was the better goalie. Rask had the longer career
Thomas had a hip surgery the following summer rather than before the season. But whatever their condition, rookie Rask massacred Thomas that year despite him not even being particularly bad. Coincidentally both faced exactly 1221 shots that season, Rask allowed 84 and Thomas 104 goals.
| GS | SA | GA | SV% | GAA | GSAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rask | 39 | 1221 | 84 | .931 | 1.97 | 24.3 |
| Thomas | 42 | 1221 | 104 | .915 | 2.56 | 4.3 |
BigBadBruins7708
Registered User
My timing was off, but the point still stands. Thomas was injured and had surgery in that offseason (instead of before it like I originally said). Those stats are for Thomas with bad hips, bad for any goalie but even more so for a non traditional style like his that relies on flexibility and reflexes instead of positioning and technique
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
MXD
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Both played behind Andrew Ference, and are thus overrated.
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I know what Rask’s stats say about the caliber of playoff goalie he was, but I felt he let them down in 2013 and 2019 especially.
If you need to win a playoff series or a game 7, Thomas all day everyday.
If you need to win a playoff series or a game 7, Thomas all day everyday.
VanIslander
20 years of All-Time Drafts on HfBoards
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
The 2010 playoffs aggravated me more than those two.
Blowing a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 lead in game 7 (at home) was historic for all the wrong reason. Blame the Bruins as a whole, but Rask was their goalie against Philly. When Boston won the Cup the next season with Thomas, Rask had a long, long way to go to surpass Thomas in the Bruins fan's minds.
Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
Either that or burbs up a ridiculous rebound into the slot to lose the series...
This is exactly what the Bruins played for in these years. Low quality shot from the outside. All Thomas has to do is not put it into the slot and Boston probably advances. But with no anticipation and poor technical acumen...you get a mess...
Granted, even if Andrew Ference is over there instead of Dennis Wideman, there's a good chance that rebound is cleared for him. Which is exactly the point...
I wouldn't trust that guy to get me a glass of water...
This is exactly what the Bruins played for in these years. Low quality shot from the outside. All Thomas has to do is not put it into the slot and Boston probably advances. But with no anticipation and poor technical acumen...you get a mess...
Granted, even if Andrew Ference is over there instead of Dennis Wideman, there's a good chance that rebound is cleared for him. Which is exactly the point...
I wouldn't trust that guy to get me a glass of water...
Sheppy
Registered User
I can't agree with either. What Rask did to the Penguins was flat out stupid in 2013 - He allowed 2 goals in 4 games against a high powered offensive beast.
2019 he was the only reason they got as far as they did. In order for Rask to win the cup he would have had to pitch a shutout in game 7. Was he good? No, he was pretty bad in that game, but the Bruins scored 1 goal. Rask stole several games that playoffs, but when Rask needed some offense, they failed him. The best he could have done was win a 1-0 game.
Tuukka Rask's career stats are among the best ever (not saying he was) - but when you look at it, it's insane.
3rd all time in SV% - Minimum 100 GP - Rask played 564
11th all time in GAA as well.
Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
If he didn't tack on those extra ~20 games in his career, he's 2nd all time* in save pct. (which at 3 sig figs is tied for 1st).
McPoyle
Start breaking bricks wet nips
Peak Thomas, prime and overall career Rask.
ON3M4N
Ignores/60 = Elite
2013 - 1.88 GAA / .940 SV%
2019 - 2.02 GAA / .934 SV%
Those two playoff runs were statistically he top 2.
You want to know what let them down in 2013?
In the Stanley Cup Finals.....
Marchand - 0 goals
Horton - 0 goals
Jagr - 0 goals
Seguin - 0 goals
Krejci - 0 goals
Bergeron & Lucic combined for 8 of Boston's 15 goals. The rest came from Paille, Kelly, Chara, Boychuk & Peverley.
JackSlater
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Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
If memory serves, the Bruins rose up and scored like 25 more ES goals the next best team in the 2011 run to overcome the uneven play (that is hidden by averaging stats) of Thomas. Rask was not so fortunate it seems to get heroic increases in production from, arguably, a better offensive group...
Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
Why use even strength goals only? They all count, don't they? Does the ineffective Boston power play have any effect whatsoever on Thomas's play?
"During the Bruins' playoff run, he set the record for most saves in a single post-season with 798 and the most saves in a Stanley Cup series with 238, and broke Frank McCool's 66-year-old record of fewest goals allowed in a seven-game Stanley Cup Finals, allowing only eight goals total the whole series (for an all-time record .967 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Finals). Thomas also became the first goaltender ever to post a shutout in a Game 7 on the road."
If Thomas's play was uneven, the Bruins must have been the greatest defensive team ever.
Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
Sure. All goals count. It's just how much harder they had to grind their way to goals because they didn't have a power play that they could depend on. At least with the Oilers back in the day, you pop them on the power play and you erase a whole period of Grant Fuhr's mistakes. The Bruins had to score more goals 5v5 in 2011 than any other team had any other goals total. It's crazy what they had to do and very necessary.
In 20% of the games, Thomas gave up 4 or more.
In 9 of 25 he gave up 3 or more.
Folks that like save pct. in an individual game, will note that he had a <=.900 game in 7 games in 2011.
For comparison, the very next season, Jonathan Quick allowed:
4 or more...zero times.
3 or more...twice.
And despite not being in quite the same save pct. boosting system, only had three games at or below .900 with two of those being exactly .900.
Rask in the higher scoring 2019 season
4 or more...twice.
3 or more...eight times
At or below .900...twice
I can't find it now, but qpq did a deviation from mean run or something that showed that Thomas' game to game performance was very up and down in recent history. If they had a reliable goaltender, they wouldn't have needed seven games three times. He put every series in doubt, except the Philadelphia one that the Flyers didn't bother to lift a finger for...
In 20% of the games, Thomas gave up 4 or more.
In 9 of 25 he gave up 3 or more.
Folks that like save pct. in an individual game, will note that he had a <=.900 game in 7 games in 2011.
For comparison, the very next season, Jonathan Quick allowed:
4 or more...zero times.
3 or more...twice.
And despite not being in quite the same save pct. boosting system, only had three games at or below .900 with two of those being exactly .900.
Rask in the higher scoring 2019 season
4 or more...twice.
3 or more...eight times
At or below .900...twice
I can't find it now, but qpq did a deviation from mean run or something that showed that Thomas' game to game performance was very up and down in recent history. If they had a reliable goaltender, they wouldn't have needed seven games three times. He put every series in doubt, except the Philadelphia one that the Flyers didn't bother to lift a finger for...
VanIslander
20 years of All-Time Drafts on HfBoards
Michael Farkas
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I know his stats are great. This isn’t a hill I’ll die on but from watching the games I felt he gave up some bad goals in crunch time if memory serves. Championship goalies lock it down all the way to the end.
Thomas was capable of that and it didn’t seem like Rask could do it in the SCF
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
You are sugar coating or ignoring two key stats
Thomas wins 214 wins reg season 29 wins in the playoffs
Rask 308 wins playoffs 57 wins in the playoffs
But let's talk about games played eh?
