BOSTON -- With only two exhibition games remaining in the preseason schedule, the Boston Bruins still have two goalies -- Niklas Svedberg and Chad Johnson -- in camp battling for the backup role behind starter Tuukka Rask.

That No. 2 role will be as important as ever for the Bruins this season.

In years past, Bruins coach Claude Julien would describe the team's goaltending status as having two No. 1 netminders in Tim Thomas and Rask. It's been a luxury for Boston. A season ago, Rask played 36 of the 48 games during the lockout-shortened schedule, with then-backup Anton Khudobin playing the rest.

This season will be different for both Rask and the Bruins.

Realistically, Rask should be able to play close to 60 games in his first full 82-game season as the Bruins' No. 1 goalie. The main factor why he should log that kind of ice time is his new eight-year contract worth $56 million.

What Rask and the Bruins would like to avoid is the burnout factor. Finding a balance between giving him the proper ice time and rest is critical to the team's success. While the organization probably has a certain number of games in mind, Rask said that's one goal he did not set for himself this season.

Chad Johnson has just 10 games of NHL experience but could earn some ice time with the Bruins. Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports

"I haven't thought about it, really," Rask said. "Obviously, it's going to be a little different schedule [than the shortened 2012-13 season] with more breaks, so you'll be able to play a good amount of games. But again, it's been good for us, it's been working for us to have two good goalies and it's important to have both the guys playing and feeling good about themselves. I haven't set up a goal for myself, so we'll just see how the season plays out."

The other aspect Rask is aware of is the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. If he plays for his native Finland during the games in mid-February, the international pressure and travel could also affect how he plays if the Bruins earn a postseason berth. Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller learned that first-hand in 2010. He led Team USA to the gold-medal game before losing to Canada. Overall, Miller played six games in the Olympics in Vancouver. Once the Stanley Cup playoffs arrived that season, Rask and the Bruins defeated Miller and the Sabres in six games.

During the 2009-10 season, Rask played a career-high 45 regular-season games and another 13 in the postseason. He was worn down by the time the Philadelphia Flyers erased a 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinals to win that historic series in seven games.

Rask watched from the bench as Thomas led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title in 2011. Rask then took that experience and helped the Bruins reach their second Cup finals in a three-year span in 2013. The Chicago Blackhawks won that series and hoisted the Cup on TD Garden ice.

Still, Rask was awarded a long-term, lucrative deal with the Bruins last summer. This team and these fans are expecting more from Rask than ever before.

Niklas Svedberg was impressive for Providence last season but hopes to stick in Boston in 2013-14. AP Photo/Steven Senne

"You obviously have high expectations with big contracts and you have to be really good, there's no other way to put it," Rask said. "From the outside it creates more focus on you and people are going to watch you more and more and how you play. For myself, [the contract] doesn't change my mindset. I want to be worth every penny. I want to produce out there and give the team a chance to win every night."

If Rask can remain healthy for the entire season, Svedberg, Johnson or even prospect Malcolm Subban will need to supply at least 20 solid performances. No matter who the backup is, it will be a different dynamic this season than years past.

"It could be, but you always want to have two good goalies, no matter what the situation is, and you obviously can't pay both goalies the same amount of money if [the No. 1] guy is making a lot, so you try to get that guy who is your No. 1A kind of cheap and he can play," Rask said. "If it's Chad or Nik, both are really good goalies and they've both shown they can play in the NHL and we're going to have a good time sharing the net this year and having that luxury for our time."

Johnson, 27, has spent the majority of his career in the AHL and has 10 games of NHL experience between the New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes. He signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $600,000 in July.

Svedberg, 23, was outstanding for the Providence Bruins last season, recording a 37-8-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 48 regular-season games. He's still on an entry-level contract with the Bruins, but if he sticks in Boston he'll count for nearly $1 million against the cap.

Subban, the team's first-rounder (24th overall) in the 2012 draft, is entering his first pro season and is expected to log plenty of time between the pipes in Providence. Having both Subban and Svedberg in Providence could be counterproductive for their development, unless they split time equally in net.