Bruins remain in search of defensive help as Rask returns to top form

It was about as nightmarish a start to the season as Tuukka Rask could have imagined.

Fourteen goals allowed in the first three games of the season, leading to a save percentage of .889 in seven October starts. And it didn't get much better from there for the Boston Bruins' franchise goalie, as Rask would allow 24 goals in nine November games, leaving his success rate at sub-.900 as the calendar turned to the final month of 2015.

But while December began with a pair of losses to Edmonton and Calgary, Rask allowed only four goals on 62 shots in defeat, and it was from that point that he reeled off a string of strong starts to cap of the year that signaled a much-needed return to form.

A 3-2 win over Philadelphia on Monday - in which he made 34 saves - raised Rask's season record to 17-14-4, while his save percentage now sits at .918, much closer to his career average of .925 than numbers posted previously in the season.

His performance of late hasn't been lost on his teammates, as expressed by Brad Marchand. "Tuukks played phenomenal," he said, "he's such a big part of our team."

Marchand is absolutely right, and the Bruins would be sunk without Rask. The thing is, the task at hand isn't going to get any easier unless general manager Don Sweeney is able to upgrade the blue line prior to the NHL's trade deadline.

Zdeno Chara is still playing at a high level and leads all Bruins defensemen in points with 26 in 46 games, but the rest of the group deployed Tuesday - save for the offensively gifted Torey Krug - does not inspire much confidence.

Both Johnny Boychuk and Dougie Hamilton are long gone, and, months later, those top-four holes have yet to adequately be filled. While Colin Miller - acquired from Los Angeles in the Milan Lucic trade - shows much promise, he had been left out of the lineup on a regular basis prior to the win over Philadelphia, in which he recorded a power-play assist.

Despite a .914 save percentage from Rask to date in January, the Bruins have gone 3-5-1 in his past nine starts, with the defense regularly unable to lock down late leads.

The Bruins sit third in the Atlantic, four points behind division-leading Florida, and boast the NHL's fourth-best offense with 145 goals through 48 games.

With the trade deadline only five weeks away and a decision to be made on the fate of impending unrestricted free agent Loui Eriksson, a significant upgrade on the blue line could be the difference between falling back out of the postseason picture and winning a round or two come spring.