It could be game time for Rask

WILMINGTON - Top goalie prospect Tuukka Rask spent his first day with the Bruins varsity yesterday, blocking shots in a late-morning workout at Ristuccia Arena, then boarding an afternoon flight to Buffalo, where the Black and Gold will take on the Sabres tonight at HSBC Arena.

Rask, summoned from Providence Monday, was among more than a half-dozen players who lingered on the ice for an extra half-hour following the 60-minute workout. As top netminder Tim Thomas prepared to pack his gear for the trip, a passerby at his locker inquired as to the whereabouts of the Finnish phenom.

"He's still on the ice," said a smiling Thomas, whose key stats rank among the game's best this season. "Right where a young man should be."

The question remains, where will Rask be the next couple of nights? Following the match against the sagging Sabres, the Bruins will return to the Garden to face the Canadiens tomorrow night. On Saturday, the Sabres make a return visit to Causeway Street. One of the three starts likely will fall to the 20-year-old Rask.

"It allows him to practice with us," said coach Claude Julien, noting that Rask was called to the Hub, in part, because of Manny Fernandez's lingering knee injury. "And who knows? Maybe he even gets himself into a game."

Rask, acquired in June 2006 when the Bruins shipped Andrew Raycroft to the Maple Leafs, went an impressive 6-1, with a 2.00 goals-against mark, in seven starts with Providence (AHL). It may have been a small test sample, but he delivered on the lofty expectations that were pinned on him from the moment he was dealt to the Bruins. Now, perhaps as early as tonight, he'll find out how his game stacks up against NHL competition.

"It's a busy schedule, and we've discussed him getting a game," said general manager Peter Chiarelli, offering the standard deferral that it's the coach, not the GM, who decides who plays. "With back-to-back games, it seems logical that one would [go to Rask]."

The 6-foot-3-inch Rask, younger than some freshmen who are playing Division 1 NCAA hockey this season, isn't a true newbie in the Boston dressing room. He worked out here midsummer in the club's development camp and then enjoyed an encouraging training camp prior to being shipped to Providence.

Had Fernandez's knee not been "tweaked" more than a week ago, Rask likely would still be in the AHL, precisely where Boston management had him pegged to remain for his first get-to-know-North-America season. But as is often the case in hockey, organizational plans and injury list were a bit out of alignment.

Before Rask took the ice with the rest of his new teammates, Fernandez worked out in full pads, under the eye of John Whitesides, the club's strength and conditioning coach. Fernandez spent most of the time, approximately 30 minutes, performing simple agility drills in and around the crease.

Fernandez, acquired over the summer from Minnesota in hopes that he would be the Bruins' No. 1 stopper, has been sidelined some 10 days with what the club has termed a slight knee injury. A return date has not been targeted.

"I originally said he'd be down about two or three days, so yeah, it's been longer than we thought," said Chiarelli. When asked if it might be necessary to put the 33-year-old Fernandez on the injured list, the GM said, "I doubt it. I don't think so."

Rask received word of his promotion Monday afternoon from Providence coach Scott Gordon, the former Boston College backstop. The young goalie then made a call or two home, informing friends and family, and prepared for the ride up Route 95. Finland, noted Rask, is seven hours ahead of the Eastern US time zone, which would make it difficult for anyone back home to watch or listen to games.

"In fact, I talked to a buddy of mine," said Rask, "and the next Bruins game to be televised back there won't be until the Islander game."

The Islanders are in Boston for a matinee Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving.

About to snap?

Glen Murray remains mired in a slow start (1-4 -5 in 13 games), but Chiarelli is confident that the 35-year-old winger is about to snap out of it. "Other than one of the last five years or so, he's been a slow starter," said Chiarelli. "He's getting his chances, and he's starting to bury them in practice - he'll be fine." To which Murray added, "I don't wish for this. You always want to get out of the gate fast. But you know what? I'm not down. I'm just going to go out there and work hard." . . . Veteran blue liner Andrew Ference, who sat out Sunday's game vs. Ottawa with an upper-body "core" injury, did not practice and did not make the trip to Buffalo. Winger Shawn Thornton also did not skate, hobbled slightly by a shot he took off a skate boot over the weekend. He did make the trip . . . Andrew Alberts, Ference's usual partner, paired with Dennis Wideman in practice. Bobby Allen skated with Mark Stuart, and Zdeno Chara skated with Aaron Ward.

A Bourque sighting

Christopher Bourque, son of Bruins icon Ray Bourque, was called up by the Washington Capitals and was slated to play last night in Atlanta. The Capitals are in a tailspin, with rumors circulating that coach Glen Hanlon could be on the firing line . . . After opening the season 6 for 18 on the power play in four games, the Bruins have gone only 2 for 19 over the last five . . . The Bruins have allowed 31 goals, but only four of those were in the first period . . . If Rask were to draw tomorrow night's start vs. the Habs, it would set up the potential of a Rask-Carey Price duel, pitting perhaps the two most highly touted young goalies in the game. Price, also 6-3 and also 20 years old, is 2-1-1 in four starts, with a 2.65 GAA and .906 save percentage.