Tuukka Rask likely to start for Bruins on Saturday

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask practiced Friday at Warrior Ice Arena and likely will start against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NESN, CSN-PH, NHL.TV).
Rask was hit in the neck by a slap shot from Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi during a 2-1 road loss Thursday. Rask left the game with 7:11 remaining in the first period.

Rask was not limited in practice.
"Yeah, I'll be good," he said. "It got a little bit of my jaw too, so we went through the concussion test there. We just had to make sure everything was normal."

Rask, who is 21-9-3 with a 1.95 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and five shutouts, said he was partly to blame for the injury because he didn't take advantage of the way his mask is designed and made his neck vulnerable.
"I've designed my mask in a way that the jaw part is longer than usual and I try to cover my Adam's apple as well as possible," Rask said. "When you turn your head sideways a little bit you kind of expose the back part of your neck and your muscle there. But I was not too worried about it. It's just a tough break."
Zach McIntyre allowed two goals on 14 shots in relief Friday. He's 0-3-1 with a 3.75 goals-against average and .863 save percentage in five games this season and is the backup after Anton Khudobin was waived Jan. 4.
"[Rask is] fine, that's the name of the game," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "There's a risk every game that you play for every player. He's fine, and that's the most important thing I think right now."
Without Rask, the Bruins were unable to earn a point against the Predators but finished their four-game road trip 2-1-1 and are second in the Atlantic Division with 49 points (22-18-5).
Forward Matt Beleskey (knee) joined the Bruins for practice, although he hasn't been cleared for contact. Defenseman Colin Miller (lower body) didn't practice and was ruled out against the Flyers.