WILMINGTON – Prior to this week, the last time Tuukka Rask played three full NHL games in a row was in the 2009-10 season. That will be a regular occurrence for the foreseeable future as he’s taken over the No. 1 goaltending job for the Bruins, and thus far Tuukka Time has been a good time for the B’s. The 25-year-old has led the B’s to a 2-0-1 record in a schedule that has seen them face the Eastern Conference favorite Rangers twice. 

It’s only three games, but in the shortened season that’s actually a somewhat decent sample size. Through those games, Rask has a .926 save percentage and a 1.95 goals-against average. He could have had a shutout in Monday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Jets were it not for some confusion out front on Dougie Hamilton and Zdeno Chara’s parts, but the Finland native has looked better thus far than his numbers may suggest. He certainly kept the B’s in the game Wednesday against the Rangers. 

“He's an unbelievable goalie,” Nathan Horton said Wednesday. “I've always said, from shooting on him when I was with another team, he's so quick and he's definitely a special goaltender. He's done well and we expect him to do well because we all know how good he is.”

Though he allowed four goals on the night after allowing one goal in each of the first two games, Rask turned in his most impressive performance in the overtime loss to the Rangers. Two goals came off rebounds that weren’t cleared, while the other two were the product of sensational plays from the Rangers (first on a brilliant set play through the neutral zone that created a 2-on-1 and later on a Marian Gaborik breakaway that saw him bury the rebound of his own shot to the end the game), but it was Rask’s back-to-back saves on Rick Nash and then on Gaborik in a 2-on-1 in the final minute of regulation that stood out as perhaps the play of the game. 

Rask said it was unfortunate that the B’s couldn’t get the second point on Wednesday after coming back twice, but agreed that the game was his most difficult challenge of the season. 

“I think they crashed the net a lot, shot for rebounds a lot and had big bodies in front,” he said Thursday. “It was a good test.”

The ultimate test for Rask this season is whether he can stay healthy and play consistent over the course of the season. He had the abdomen/groin strain last March 3 that prevented him from being available until late in the first round against the Capitals, and a lot of games might take more of a toll on a thinner guy like Rask (6-foot-2, 171 pounds) than it would on some of the league’s 200-plus pound netminders. 

While those questions will be answered over time, Rask has at the very least shown that he is plenty capable of being the Bruins’ top netminder with Tim Thomas out of the picture. 

“Tuukka's been good,” Claude Julien said. “I think he's given us exactly what we expected from him. He's been solid, and right now if he can be consistent like that for the whole year, we'll be in good shape.”

Perhaps Rask’s strong play has been a product of him getting into more games in a row. He got three straight starts at one point during the B’s Cup-winning season in 2010-11, but he was yanked after the first period of the first game (against Buffalo on Jan. 1 of that season), in a somewhat controversial move by Julien. He’s said on multiple occasions that being a backup and not being frequently rewarded with consecutive starts was a challenge, but he’s getting them now. 

“You just try to start off on the right foot every season and just get that snowball going kind of,” he said. “You try to keep that confidence up and not overthink it. I think the biggest thing is to just try to stay consistent throughout the year.” 

This isn’t the first game experience Rask has gotten this season, as he was one of 12 Bruins to play overseas during the lockout. Rask played only eight games in the Czech Extraliga before returning to Boston, but he feels his time in Europe was beneficial in his preparation for the NHL season. 

“I don't know what it feels like, but I don’t feel rusty out there,” Rask said. “I feel pretty confident and comfortable, and I think that's a good sign. You've just got to make sure you stay prepared and ready for these games.”

So far, so good.