Rask left net for extra attacker in tie game: 'I honestly thought we were down'

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask had a mental lapse that nearly cost his team two points on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers.

Tied 2-2 with a minute remaining in the third period, Rask left his net for the extra attacker.

"I honestly thought we were down, 2-1," Rask said postgame, according to Conor Ryan of the Boston Sports Journal. "I wasn't panicking at all, I was more laughing, actually."

The Rangers never took possession of the puck before Rask returned to the net, so he was able to laugh about the blunder afterward.

"It's an entertainment industry," Rask said. "Hopefully (the fans) got a good laugh out of it."

The Bruins were able to win in overtime on the stick of Brad Marchand, who said his goaltender's sensational performance saved him from some good-natured ribbing.

"He's going to catch some heat for that," Marchand said. "He made a lot of big saves tonight, so he gets a pass."

Rask was excellent in the contest, stopping 33 of 35 shots. New York controlled 66.7% of the expected goals at even strength in the contest, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The 33-year-old is now 6-1-1 on the season with a .906 save percentage.