As the season shifts from bad to worse for the slumping Bruins, goalie Tuukka Rask played only half of Sunday’s blowout loss to the Penguins because of a migraine.
Rask was pulled midway through the second period because he was not feeling well, the Bruins announced. He did not return.
Rask revealed to reporters after the 5-1 loss he was suffering from migraine symptoms, something he’s dealt with in-game previously.
Two Washington goals in the first 11:32 of the first period set the stage for the avalanche that was to follow.
Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, winner of 14 straight starts, was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots.
Columbus, which entered averaging an NHL-best 2.03 goals against, hadn’t given up more than three goals in a game since Nov. 12. Only twice has a team scored more than four against the Blue Jackets this season.
The power-play unit, which also led the league at 28.3 percent during the streak, failed to score on five chances against the Caps.
While it won’t make the NHL history book, the streak was fun while it lasted.
Columbus rode it to the league’s best record, 27-6-4 and 58 points, as the season nears its halfway point.
It’s the first time the Blue Jackets failed to earn a point in 18 games.
Brian Elliott, G ( Signed with Flyers ) — Elliott was having a brutal first season in Calgary but became one of the NHL’s hottest goalies down the stretch, salvaging his contract year. A poor playoff showing cost him some dollars (2 years, $5.5 million), so Philly gets a bargain to platoon with Michal Neuvirth while hoping Elliott, 32, might recapture the consistency that made him a stalwart with the Blues.
