Going 2-0 in his first two games, Boston Bruins rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask has to be happy with himself. After a long line of young, up and coming goalies in the Bruins organization, all promised to be the future of the program and then faded into oblivion, it looks like Rask is certainly holding up his end of the deal so far. But his pair of wins haven’t come easy, and though only two games deep into a promising career he has already settled some scores for himself and his team.

As rumors of his first start traveled through the internet and over the airwaves, Boston and Toronto fans alike anticipated a game in which each club would find out who got the better end of the deal that moved Andrew Raycroft to Toronto and Rask’s rights to Boston. That night, after two short stints as an NHL backup, the 20-year-old Finland native got the chance to prove that the team that traded him away had made a mistake.

Down 2-0 in the second period, even the most faithful Bruins fan may have begun to wonder if it was too early to gauge Rask as an NHL talent. He had been solid throughout, but still showed signs of a first-timer. But with a late Phil Kessel goal making it 2-1, the Bruins found themselves in the game. A scoreless third period from Rask while under the pressure of the entire arena and the heart’s of Bruins fans gave them a well deserved win. “Of course, it means a lot. It was fun to play and show them that I am good enough to play at this level," said Rask of his first win which came against the Toronto team that traded him away. The 30 saves made demonstrated that even though he is still a youngster, he is able to hold himself with the poise of a veteran.

Going 1-1 after a home-and-home series with the Islanders, Julien decided to give Tim Thomas a break and Rask another shot at proving himself in a game that was anything but routine. The last time the Boston Bruins played the Flyers, their captain Patrice Bergeron was hit from behind causing his indefinite removal from the B’s lineup. The suspension dealt to Randy Jones was felt to be questionable; the Bruins were looking forward to letting the Broad Street Bullies know how they felt.

Almost halfway through the game, the message was clear that this game was somewhat vengeful as the Bruins were playing some of their best hockey to date, and were on top of a lopsided 4-0 score. Though Tuukka hadn’t seen a ton of action, he had been more than up to the challenge of anything the Flyers could throw at him. Then two Philadelphia goals only two minutes apart made it 4-2 and there was a hockey game at hand.

“It's a hard game for a goalie when you don't face that many shots...you just have to stay focused," said Rask of the type of game he faced in Philly. But he did just that and stayed on board, holding his ground several times throughout the rest of the game, making 20 save en route to capturing the emotional victory in the City of Brotherly Love.

And just to add a little more drama to his first two starts, Rask faced fellow Finnish goaltenders Vesa Toskala in Toronto and Antero Niittymaki in the second half of the Philly game. When world championship time rolls around, Rask can be sure he will be in competition with these experienced goaltenders along with the likes of Miikka Kiprusoff.

The anticipation of Rask’s first game has come and gone, but hype still surrounds the youngster. Though Providence offers him loads of playing time while Manny Fernandez struggles with his health, it seems as if Tuukka is happy to continue proving himself in the NHL. But in professional hockey, there is always the chance of being needed in the lower ranks, but it doesn’t seem to bother Rask as he explains, “No matter where I play, I just have to keep working hard.” This work ethic and an appreciation for how far he’s come in such a short time seems to be working out for Rask. And there is always more to look forward to. Especially with back to back games in the near future, the latter being against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadians, which could prove to be Tuukka’s next big task.