Goaltender Tuukka Rask was arguably the best player during this year's Stanley Cup playoffs and would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Boston Bruins had figured out the St. Louis Blues in Wednesday's Game 7. 

Instead, Rask allowed four goals for just the fourth time in 24 playoff games this spring as the Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in history. Centre Ryan O'Reilly took home the Conn Smythe with eight goals and 15 assists over 26 games. 

Despite the disappointing end to the season, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy defended his goalie after the game, saying he doesn't deserves any of the criticism. 

“There really shouldn’t be,” Cassidy told the Boston Globe. “We’re a team. We scored a goal with two minutes left, he could have stood on his head and given up one, so . . . they outplayed us at certain moments of the game at all positions. He was excellent. He was our best player. I don’t think anybody’s leaving the building tonight, unfortunately, in our locker room, saying they put their best foot forward. That’s the whole group.”

Rask, 32, posted a 15-7-2 record with a 2.02 goals against average and a 0.934 save percentage with a pair of shutouts in the playoffs. 

The native of Finland has spent his entire 13-year career with the Bruins and has two seasons left on a eight-year, $56 million contract.