It was the first time since 2012 that Rask did not get the nod against the Bruins' top rival.

WILMINGTON — Tuukka Rask sat and watched from the bench Thursday night as his teammates were pummeled 5-1 by the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

It was the first time since 2012 that Rask did not get the nod against the Bruins’ top rival.

Given that Rask had been pulled from his start Wednesday in Toronto after just 24 minutes, it seemed that the reigning Vezina Trophy winner could be relatively fresh and back in the net Thursday.

But Coach Claude Julien and Rask both said the plan was always for Niklas Svedberg to play in Montreal, and they weren’t deviating from that.

Rask’s start against the Maple Leafs was his fifth straight, and Julien said there was “no way he’s going to play two in two [nights] after playing five straight games.” Rask allowed four goals on 16 shots against Toronto and was yanked early in the second period.

“We always try to make the decisions that are best for the team,” Rask said Friday. “I'd played five or six games in a row. It was the plan that Sveddy was going to play that game, and we didn't change that plan. Why would we? We trust everybody on the team.”

Of course, the Bruins could have aligned their starters differently before the road trip and had Svedberg start in Toronto and leave a rested Rask ready for the Canadiens. That would have given Rask the chance to play against the team that’s given him demons (3-11-3, 2.80 GAA in his career vs. Montreal).

Rask brushed aside any qualms about avoiding the Habs.

“It's still fairly early in the season and I'm going to get my chances to improve my record against them,” the goalie said. “Everybody talks about Montreal, it's a big game. We just try to take it as a regular game and we try to play our game. It's not a big deal for me that I didn't play. I know I'm going to get a bounce back game tomorrow.”

Svedberg played admirably in keeping the Bruins in the game as long as they were, stopping a Max Pacioretty breakaway late in the first period that preserved what was a 1-0 lead into the intermission. But the Canadiens blitzed the visitors in the final 40 minutes and rolled to a four-goal win. In the end, it may have mattered little in the outcome who was in net for the Bruins.

“We didn't do the job in front of [Svedberg],” Julien said.