15 reasons this NHL season took place in the Upside Down

5. Tuukka Rask was on task

Boston Bruins superstar goalie Tuukka Rask can be his own worst enemy sometimes, waving at shots and too-frequently making it look like goals weren’t his fault.

So, we weren’t really sure what to expect from Rask this season, what with an aging Zdeno Chara being called out as, er, aging, newbie defensemanman Charlie McAvoy guaranteed to get more ice time and the jury out on the effort of newish coach Bruce Cassidy.

All that fell by the wayside as the Bruins found themselves in the thick of it in the East all season, challenging for the Presidents’ Trophy and capturing the Northeast Division flag. Wowee! Did you see that coming, non-residents of New England? No, you didn’t. It’s not like Rask was a superstar this season — his numbers are pretty similar to those of the last two seasons, when the Bruins were awful — but more the quality of starts and the fact he seemed to be into it this season, when it could easily have gone south in a hurry. Sprinkle in some spirited scoring by pesky Brad Marchand and a resurgence of sorts by Patrice Bergeron and you have a whole whack of wonderful in Beantown.