Bruins Goalie Tuukka Rask Opts Out of Season Before Game 3

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask has opted out of the remainder of the NHL season to return home to his family.

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask has opted out of the remainder of the NHL season, the team announced Saturday morning.

"I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family," Rask said in a statement. "I want to thank the Bruins and my teammates for their support and wish them success."

Rask and his wife welcomed their third daughter, Livia, in April.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Saturday that Rask's family is healthy, and the 33-year-old's departure is not linked to a specific incident. Sweeney added that he was not "caught off guard" by Rask's decision following the pair's conversations.

"The priority has to be his family and we support that," Sweeney told reporters. "I think we all understand these are trying times for everybody."

The announcement came just hours before the Bruins are set to face the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup first-round series Saturday at noon ET. The series is currently tied 1–1.

Rask logged a 92.9 save percentage in Games 1 and 2, and he led the league in goals-against average (2.12) during the regular season. He has played in four of Boston's five games in the "bubble" in Canada.