OTTAWA — The Bruins closed out their year Saturday night with a 5-0 win over the Senators as Tuukka Rask improved his recent string of success (10-0-1).

Rask, without a regulation loss since Nov. 26, has returned to his elite No. 1 form.

Trusty backup Anton Khudobin, the loser in overtime Thursday in Washington, has chipped in with an impressive 8-2-3 record.

It took nearly two months to get there, but the Bruins finally appear to have the bedrock goaltending tandem that — all things remaining the same — will allow Rask to enter the playoffs in April without being chewed to bits in the 82-game regular-season meat grinder.

“It’s been great,’’ said Rask before the game as he focused on his workload thus far. “The thing we wanted to accomplish was to have two goalies going and both feeling fresh. That’s the main thing. I’ve felt fresh, and I am sure Doby’s felt fresh, too.’’

The stop here was game No. 37 for the Bruins, and Rask, 13-8-3 with a 2.13 goals-against average, made his 25th appearance. If he were to make, say, 30 more appearances over the remaining 45 games, his season total would be 55 — his lightest workload since appearing 36 times in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

Entering this season, general manager Don Sweeney figured an ideal target for Rask would be 60 games, provided his backup (to be determined at the time) could provide reliable relief duty. Khudobin has done all of that, rolling up a 7-0-2 mark before finally suffering his first regulation loss of the season in Nashville on Dec. 4.

“I haven’t felt like it’s been too heavy for either one of us,’’ said Rask, the NHL’s recent Player of the Week for four consecutive wins leading to the holiday break. “We’re almost to the halfway point [in the schedule], and we’ll just keep it going to the end.’’

Return to action

Torey Krug was back on the clock after being benched for the full five-minute OT Thursday night. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was looking for Krug, the club’s top offensive blue liner, to be more mindful of his gaps when transitioning to defense in the back half of the ice.

Cassidy was pleased with effort by Krug, who picked up two assists and played 17:28.

“You don’t notice it until someone points it out,’’ said Krug before the game. “You still feel you can contribute and help the team win. The game goes to OT, you still want to be out there to help the team win, and you feel like you can. It’s a little upsetting, but . . . you just have to move on.’’

In his fifth full NHL season, the 5-foot-9-inch Krug has become an essential contributor to the Boston offense, particularly on the power play. But of his six goals and 22 points, only one goal and four assists have been scored on the man-advantage.

“It’s been ups and downs, with the injury [jaw fracture] and all that,’’ Krug said, when asked to appraise his season. “I’ve battled through a lot and I’m still producing offensively. Obviously, power play-wise, I don’t have many points, but I’m still producing five-on-five, contributing, and always trying to be a bigger part of the team.’’

Backes in groove

The game feels a half-second faster, said David Backes, which in part might be why he has had enjoyed his best offensive output since signing with the Bruins in July 2016. Cassidy believes pucks have been “finding’’ the veteran forward.

“Capitalize on those opportunities and really relish it when it’s finding you,’’ said Backes, who assisted on Ryan Spooner’s power-play goal in the first and has a healthy 5-6—11 line over the last seven games. “I think there are other times when it’s found me and I’ve been surprised by it more and not been ready for that opportunity. Then you’re a half-second slow, and the goalies in this league are too good to give them an extra half-second. Those chances weren’t being converted. Right now they’re being converted.’’

Backes, 33, again was scheduled to ride on a line with left wing Danton Heinen and center Riley Nash.

Nash, he said, provides a level of “consistency and trustworthiness’’ that allows his wingers to “be a little more aggressive.’’

“They can anticipate plays,’’ added Backes, “knowing that there’s a guy below you that is, A, an option for a puck if you need it, and, B, for a turnover if something doesn’t go right, you’ll have three back to create that [defensive] wedge, and it’s not necessarily going to end up in the back of your net.’’

Center of attention

With David Krejci back in the lineup, centering Jake DeBrusk and Spooner (shifted to right wing), it bumped rookie Anders Bjork to the press box for the second time in his career.

If Bjork were to become a spare on a regular basis, it could be more prudent for him to be assigned to AHL Providence, where he likely would log 16-18 minutes a night and probably see regular duty on the power play.

“I don’t want to speculate, because I don’t want to get ahead of myself,’’ said Cassidy. “I think every young kid, if they’re not playing a lot of minutes, usually benefits. Anders made it here because he earned his way.’’

The former Notre Dame standout suffered a setback Nov. 11 when he was drilled in open ice by Toronto’s Matt Martin. Since returning, Bjork has been only a minor contributor on offense (1-2—3 in a dozen games) and hasn’t shown the speed and confidence that he exhibited in the first month-plus of the season.

“I thought he’s played OK of late,’’ said Cassidy. “He’s doing the things we’re asking for the most part. He’s just learning on the fly.’’

Missing in action

Ex-Avalanche center Matt Duchene, ineffective since being wheeled to the Senators on Nov. 6, scored one of the goals that helped Ottawa rally Friday night to pin a 5-4 loss on the Blue Jackets.

Prior to the matchup against the Bruins, Duchene was a meager 3-3—6 in 22 games with his new club. Meanwhile, ex-Senator Kyle Turris, who landed in Nashville in the same deal, rolled up a 5-13­—18 line with the Predators.

In good position

What does a 15-3-2 run do for a club? For the Bruins, it has all but locked up a playoff berth. With Saturday’s win, they have 48 points, tied with Toronto for second in the Atlantic Division with a 21-10-6 mark. The Bruins have a comfortable 9-point cushion over the Panthers and 12 points over the flailing Canadiens, 3-6-1 in their last 10 and losers of their last four. The Panthers blanked the visiting Canadiens, 2-0, Saturday . . . Spooner, who scored a pair of goals for the fifth time in his career, finished with a game-high six shots on net. He has yet to score a hat trick in the NHL . . . Cassidy favored a second power-play unit that had Krejci one of four forwards with DeBrusk, Backes, and Spooner. Charlie McAvoy was the point man, logging 3:39 on the man-advantage . . . The Senators outhit the Bruins, 46-29, with Dion Phaneuf and Johnny Oduya each landing seven smacks . . . Bruins center Sean Kuraly avoided what could have been a serious injury in the third period when one of Oduya’s skates nearly grazed his face in a pileup on the rear boards . . . Star Senators blue liner Erik Karlsson is minus-5 vs. the Bruins in two games. He logged a game-high 26:29 but was barely a presence. He clearly is struggling after undergoing offseason foot surgery.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.