It is hard to pick out a Bruin that stood out during the final week of the season as the they scuffled down the stretch finishing the year on a 3-5-2 note while missing out on the Northeast Division title.

The Black and Gold struggled in all phases at times. It was scoring one game, defense another, power-play, penalty kill, skating – you name it and there was a flaw. One person who continues to play with a chip on his shoulder, however, is goaltender Tuukka Rask, and that is why he is this week’s player of the week for Bruins Daily.

Rask finished the week 1-1-1 while allowing six goals in three games and recorded a shutout last Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While he made 34 saves in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Capitals, his team in front of him did let him down at times allowing the Capitals to score each of their three goals on the power play. In last night’s loss versus the Senators, he collected 18 saves in the defeat.

Rask has been solid all year for the B’s after itwas the question everyone was asking during the off-season. Could Rask be “The Guy?” Well, as the number one goaltender for the Black and Gold, he finished the year 19-10-5 with five shutouts which led the NHL. His save percentage was .929 (third) and his goals against average was 2.00 (fifth). Given those stats, its safe to say that Tuukka is indeed “the guy”.

Rask is not trying to prove anything like he had to in the 2010 playoffs, but he wants to put his team in a good position to win the series.

“Yeah, obviously I want to help the team to win the series, that’s my biggest concern,” Rask said. “I’m not trying to really prove people wrong or anything like that. I just try to play as good as I can and help the team to win the series and see where that leaves us.”

Rask also talked about how his experience from a few years ago will help him in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoff run.

“I’m sure it helps a little bit, but at least you don’t have to start from scratch,” Rask said. “So, I got some games under my belt. So, I hope it plays in my advantage.”

The Tim Thomas era is over. The Bruins know that. The Bruins fans know that. Tim Thomas knows that and certainly Rask knows that.

It is Tuukka time for this 2013 Stanley Cup run.