Rask led the league with a 2.12 goals against average this season, but Boston had won just one of five games in the postseason when the goalie made the announcement.
Fighting has made a comeback, rest is more important than ever and players are hiding injuries from opponents staying in the same hotel. “It’s been nasty from the beginning,” said one TV analyst.
After getting swept out of the postseason qualifying tournament, the Rangers won the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. The team has had six first-round picks in the past three years.
To a degree not seen before, players are kneeling for the United States national anthem and speaking out publicly on fighting racism, with backing from the National Hockey League.
The top seeds in the Western and Eastern play-in tournaments were eliminated, and the No. 1 teams in the round robin slid to fourth as the first round is set to begin Tuesday.