That’s why it may have been a little surprising to see the script flipped Saturday afternoon when Thomas allowed two third-period goals in a 4-3 loss to the Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe winner was victimized by Mike Knuble just a few minutes into the final frame and then gave up the back-breaking, go-ahead goal to Troy Brouwer with just 1:27 to play.
As a result, Thomas and the Bruins now have their backs against the wall as they head to Washington for a must-win Game 6 on Saturday night.
Just minutes after giving up the game-winner to Brouwer, Thomas was asked whether he thought he should have one — or both — of the Capitals’ third-period goals back.
“I don’t look at things like that exactly,” he said. “The third goal I wish I could have controlled the rebound better, and then the last goal he fooled me and beat me clean.”
The Knuble goal, which gave the Caps a 3-2 lead just 3:21 into the third, was put home after Joel Ward threw one in on net from Thomas’ left. The goalie kicked it aside to the right, but Knuble was streaking down the right side, where he gobbled up the rebound and put it home.
Thomas explained that “in a perfect world” he would have been able to gather the rebound or push it into the corner, but the way he saw it, he made the only play he had.
“It was to the right leg, it was to the far leg, it was on the ice, it was just slow enough that I couldn’t get the momentum to the puck, to get the puck all the way into the far corner,” he said. “I think actually I was going to put the rebound more towards the middle like I do sometimes to give one of my guys, but I read that one of our guys was there and I didn’t want it to go off his shin pad and in. Unfortunately, it just happened to land right on the Washington guy’s stick.”
The Bruins got the equalizer a few minutes later, and Thomas was sharp for the rest of the period, until a suspect slashing call on Benoit Pouliot with 2:50 to play put the B’s on the penalty kill in the game’s final minutes.
It was then that Brouwer was able to get some pass coming down the right side, where he let go a wrist shot from the just outside the right face-off circle, picking the corner over Thomas’ left shoulder.
“He’s coming down with a lot of speed, and he shot, and I read that the shot was going lower,” Thomas said. “And by the time I realized that the shot was going that high, I didn’t even have time to raise my hand.”
Thomas, to his credit, wasn’t ready to blame the call that put the Bruins down a man late in the third for the late goal.
“That’s hockey, right? It’s not … there’s not a lot of things that happen over the course of the series that change the outcome in the end, and that was one of them. But the outcome of this series isn’t over, so we’ll see if it ends up making a difference or not.”
Thomas and the Bruins will find out quickly whether it makes a difference. The B’s will be back at it in less than 24 hours, and Thomas and his teammates are up for the challenge.
“Basically, knowing that we’ve been in these types of situations and responded well in the past can help to build confidence as a group, that we have what it takes to come back and do what we’re going to need to win this series if we want to move on,” he said.
“But having said that, it’s up to us to do it, not just to know that we’ve done it before. So don’t think it’s just going to happen. We’re going to have to reach down deep inside of ourselves and find a way.”
Thomas, more than anyone, was the reason the Bruins were able to raise the Stanley Cup last June. Now, with the season on the line, Boston needs him to channel that form if the B’s are going to live to see another day.
As Thomas himself pointed out, it’s now on him and the Bruins to find a way to do it again in a new year, facing a new challenge — and despite what happened Saturday, there aren’t many goalies you’d rather have between the pipes with your season on the line.
