from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Will the long break dull Rask’s focus or intensity? Will it disrupt his dream spring? Even he isn’t sure.

“Everybody in any sport, you kind of want to reach the limit to see where that is and see how good you can be,” said Rask. “I think a lot of athletes reach that, but the challenge is to stay there and how long you can stay there. That just becomes a mental battle with yourself. You play a few games good and then you start thinking, ‘Well, why am I playing good? Should I change something or should I not change something?’

“That’s the zone. It’s a constant battle with yourself. There’s no magic to it.”

As the NHL’s championship series gets underway, we are looking to see if any of the magic has worn off — both for Rask and his teammates. They’ve endured a historically long break before puck drop Monday and aren’t shying away from the possibility it may hurt them.

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