The Bruins ended their four-game skid in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, requiring a shorthanded tally from Rich Peverley, as well as big saves from both Tuukka Rask and Tomas Kaberle just to get the game to overtime. It ultimately ended with Rask and Tyler Seguin starring in a shootout, and the end result was a 3-2 win in Columbus (recap).

The last 15 minutes of the game make it easy for one's perception of the game from a Bruins perspective to be skewed. It was exciting, but it wasn't pretty. 

The B's struggled to match the Blue Jackets' pace and displayed poor passing from the get-go. Rask kept them in it throughout the period, looking like a hybrid of his 2009-10 form and Tim Thomas' October form this season. He was the difference on a night in which the Bruins, despite getting a result that has eluded them of late, did not submit a dominant showing. 

Perhaps Rask's play in the clutch shouldn't come as too much of a shock. His performances in recent road games have been well-documented, as he won six of his last seven road starts entering Tuesday (the one loss came last Tuesday in Montreal).

One thing that might surprise you, however, is the fact that in a season in which Thomas has seemed to be the runaway favorite (though it's more of a jogging pace at the moment) for the Vezina Trophy, Rask has been the guy who has ended the B's skids of late. In fact, when given the opportunity, Rask has never let a multi-game losing streak continue this season. 

Much like a stud starting pitcher in baseball, Rask has shown a tendency to be the "stopper" (a term that is nothing short of horribly confusing when applied to a goaltender) for the Bruins. Thomas had picked up the losing streak-snapping victory the first five times that the Bruins had a winless skid of two or more games. Since Dec. 30, the B's have lost two or more in a row (including overtime losses) four times. It has been Rask who has ended each of those skids. 

Before you think of ways in poking holes in those numbers, consider that neither goaltender has accomplished these feats against a collections of elite teams. The Bruins have snapped just three of their nine multi-game losing streaks by beating teams currently in line for the playoffs. Thomas beat the Penguins and Capitals, while Rask beat the Penguins. It's been a pretty even playing field for each goaltender in these games, and Rask has gotten better results. 

The Bruins have played 12 games this season in which they were coming off consecutive losses. Thomas has started eight of those games, with Rask starting the other four. Thomas, who won the first four, currently sits at 4-3-1 in such games. Rask's record is a perfect 4-0-0.

None of this is to suggest that Thomas shouldn't be the guy between the pipes when the B's reach the postseason. He has been the league's best goaltender, and he'll likely be the Bruins' most important player in the playoffs. Still, the numbers are quite telling, and while some have wondered about Rask's value in his second year, the results in these games suggest that he can be the guy who helps right the ship if the B's fall down a couple of games. 

RIGHT NIGHT TO DRESS SEGUIN 

One moment that stuck out in the preseason was during a rather light practice in Belfast. I wrote about it after the Nov. 6 game, and I'll write about it now. It remains relevant. 

With the B's preparing for their exhibition against the Belfast Giants/Elite League All-Stars, the team had some fun with a shootout-esque drill. It seemed like the perfect drill to loosen the players up, as Claude Julien would pick a player to shoot on Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask, and the rest of the players would predict whether or not the scorer would beat the netminder. If the players guessed wrong, they sprinted. If they guessed write, they sat back and laughed. Shawn Thornton had the day's funniest moment by jokingly acting offended when Julien had both he and Brian McGrattan shoot simultaneously. For the record, they both missed. 

Anyway, Seguin proved in the drill that he, perhaps predictably, was destined to be an asset in shootouts. By that point, the pre-season book had already been on the then-18-year-old. He wasn't strong on the puck, and he had a ways to go when it came to growing into the NHL. Still, when it came to skating in on two of the league's best goaltenders untouched and being able to showcase his  skills without hinderance, it was apparent that Seguin could handle it. 

He confirmed that on Nov. 6, in his first shootout attempt. The rookie deked Jaroslav Halak and roofed a back-hander to tie up a shootout the B's would eventually lose. Still, it was clear the B's had an something in an area in which they don't generally excel.

Tuesday night, Seguin was given only 9:57 of ice time. He played in favor of Michael Ryder, who produced just one goal in 14 games, and though Julien's decision didn't necessarily pay off in regulation, it did when the teams remained knotted after 65 minutes of play. 

Julien sent Seguin out first for the B's in the shootout Tuesday, and he beat Steve Mason for the shootout's only goal to give the B's the win. He is now 4-for-7 on the season, and the only Bruins player with more than one shootout goal this season. Seguin isn't the yet the caliber of player to single-handedly get his team two points on any given night, but the B's are certainly in better shape with him in the lineup in games like Tuesday's.