Last night, Thomas was the victim of a rough start.
While Thomas wasn’t sparkling early, his teammates were even worse.
“We were really, really, really rusty,’’ Zdeno Chara said. “The first 40 minutes, we were not playing like we are capable of.’’
But like the rest of the team, Thomas was his best when it counted - in the third period.
Through 40 minutes, the Senators rained 26 pucks on Thomas. Three of them had gone in. But in the third, while his teammates carried the pace of the play, Thomas saw only seven shots come his way. He turned back all seven. Thomas now has 22 wins vs. Ottawa against only eight losses.
“Necessity, recently,’’ answered Thomas (30 saves) when asked why the Bruins have been so good in the third. “We’re a good team. You know that. We might not always do it for all three periods, which is what we did for a good portion there in November and December. But if you haven’t had a real good period in a game yet, you’ll probably have it in the third. Right when we need it.’’
Yesterday was an important start for Thomas. It was the first since his Jan. 23 decision not to attend the team ceremony at the White House. Thomas rested in the pre-break finale against Washington last Tuesday. But with the Senators in town, a team Thomas has owned, it was his turn to get the nod.
“He hadn’t played since Philadelphia,’’ said coach Claude Julien. “The whole time we were in Ottawa, they never had to practice. The only thing was the skills competition, which he did very little in. In the game, he played one period. I certainly had a chat with him. He was ready to get back into action. No issues there as far as putting him in net tonight.’’
As expected, Thomas’s home fans treated him well.
“I was happy to hear the reception from the fans,’’ Thomas said. “It was just good to hear. I wanted to get them a win real bad. When we got down there in the second, I didn’t know if we’d be able to pull it off. But we found a way to win.’’
Thomas remains the No. 1 starter. He is the team’s most important player and the key to any postseason success the Bruins wish to have.
