The Boston Globe notes he never dug really deep into his plumber’s toolkit, in part because Tuukka Rask already was a very good goalie and dreaming of an NHL career in his teenage years. But because he figured a day could come when bricking up the front of a 24-square-foot hockey net might not provide a living, Rask spent a small part of his high school years in Finland studying and training to be a plumber.

“I can’t say I was very good at it,’’ Rask recalled late last summer, when all NHLers were considering alternative employment prior to the lockout beginning Sept. 15. “But, yeah, it was something I tried . . . enough to know it’s hard work. Probably good for me that hockey worked out OK.’’

Rask, now the No. 1 stopper for the Bruins, on Saturday night turned back all of Toronto’s 21 shots and registered a 1-0 shutout, the 12th of his career. Other than being among the guilty in Thursday night’s teamwide flop against the Sabres, Rask’s first two weeks of the new NHL season have added further credence that he will prove a worthy successor to the two-time Vezina winner Tim Thomas.

Rask, 25, has a 5-1-1 record, 2.10 goals-against average, and .919 save percentage. He also has less than three months remaining on a one-year deal paying him $3.5 million, which means he is helping to shape the Bruins into a solid playoff contender while positioning himself to be a huge winner at the bargaining table — be it before the season ends or over the summer.