WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Somewhere around early December, Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien probably realized he would need to lean on goaltender Tuukka Rask more than ever if the team wanted to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Julien’s soothsayer skills proved correct.

With only three games remaining in the regular season, Rask is on track to play 70 games. He’s played a career-high 67 games this season and has a 34-19-12 record, along with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

A season ago, when Rask won his first Vezina Trophy, he posted a 36-15-6 record, a 2.04 GAA and a .930 SP in 58 games. Even though he will not retain his title, Rask should receive some recognition for the Vezina this season, especially with how much the Bruins have struggled as a team, and given the amount of games he’s had to play.

Rask has played a career-high 67 games this season and says he's ready for more. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Julien isn't messing around, either.

“We’re in a battle to make [the playoffs] and you have to go with your best players,” Julien said. “If he was showing signs of fatigue and letting in some bad goals and [playing] really sloppy, then yeah, I would certainly have a different decision to make, but that hasn't been the case.”

The Bruins have yet to officially clinch a postseason berth, so it’s possible Rask could play the last three games of the regular season. Boston closes out the schedule on the road, beginning with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night at Verizon Center in Washington. The Bruins then face the Florida Panthers, who have been eliminated from the playoffs, on Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.

If the Bruins can clinch in the next two games, it’s likely Rask would serve as the backup for the season finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in Tampa.

"We’re not anywhere near where we want to be right now, as far as the standings are concerned,” Julien said.

The Bruins were off last Sunday, had a brief but efficient practice Monday, and practiced again Tuesday before traveling to Washington.

“We continue to try and give him some rest, but at the same time if you want to give him some rest, and maybe be the reason we’re out of the playoffs, then we’ll all have to answer for that, so we need to do the right thing right now and we need to balance things out and hopefully things work out before the last game of the season,” Julien said.

When it became obvious that his workload would drastically increase, Rask welcomed the challenge and said he would prefer to play more games. There was one stretch he played 27 of 29 games, beginning in mid-December, and posted a 12-7-6 record (two no-decisions) during that stretch.

“I think he’s handled it well,” Julien said. “When you look at the way he’s played lately, he’s played extremely well, so it’s not like we’re seeing signs of fatigue on his part. At the same time, sure I’d love to be able to maybe give him a little bit more rest, and we all know if we were in a better situation then that would be the case, but the most important thing is you've got to make the playoffs.”

Rask said he feels fine after a long and arduous season.

“I felt pretty good at the end of [last] year, and I thought I could've played 10, 15 more, and now we’re in that situation and I don’t really feel that different,” Rask said. “The biggest thing is trying to stay mentally fresh and try to avoid those highs and lows. That’s been the biggest challenge for me this year.”

The Bruins are on the cusp of an eighth consecutive trip to the playoffs, and if they do get there, Rask will be one of the main reasons.