Net result: Thomas earns start for opener

WILMINGTON -- Two summers ago, Tim Thomas had resigned himself to the reality that he'd never get a shot in the NHL.

Since graduating from the University of Vermont, Thomas had shuttled from the East Coast Hockey League to the now-defunct International Hockey League, back and forth from the United States to Finland, and even to Sweden, where he spent the 2000-01 season.

``I gave up before," Thomas admitted yesterday at Ristuccia Arena. ``I had made peace with the fact that I wasn't going to get a chance. I was ready to finish out my career in Finland, which isn't a bad thing."

An even better thing is getting the start for an NHL season opener. Yesterday, coach Dave Lewis told the 32-year-old Thomas he will start tonight against the Florida Panthers.

``It'll be awesome to get a win to start off the season," Thomas said. ``That's what I'm looking to try to do when we go to Florida."

It was an easy decision for Lewis, who saw how sharp Thomas looked in training camp. How well he performed in three exhibition games. And how Thomas's preseason numbers (2-1-0, 1.14 goals-against average, .962 save percentage) made the move a no-brainer. Thomas recorded the third-best GAA and save percentage in the exhibition season behind New Jersey's Frank Doyle and New York's Henrik Lundqvist.

The move drew applause from alternate captain Patrice Bergeron, whose professional trajectory -- straight from juniors to the NHL -- has been the opposite of Thomas's journey.

``His path is pretty special," Bergeron said. ``He's been through a lot. He's played pretty much in every league possible. Last year he was awesome for us. Each and every game he was giving us a chance to win. I think he's going to do that this year. He's had a good training camp. For him to start this year, it means a lot to him, I'm sure. We're all very happy for him."

While Thomas has never drawn a season-opening start in the NHL, he said he's not lacking confidence. Thomas talked yesterday about how two years ago, when he was named the MVP of the Finnish League (34-13-7, 1.58 GAA for Jokerit Helsinki), he knew he could man a crease. He endured the disappointment of not breaking camp with the Bruins last year, when management opted to start the season with Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen, but Thomas built upon his success in Finland with a solid 26-game stint in Providence.

Then when Raycroft and Toivonen went down with injuries, Thomas, despite a leaky defense in front of him, swiped the No. 1 spot.

``It builds the confidence of the team when you know the goalie behind you is going to stop the puck," Bergeron said. ``It gives you confidence. It's fun to play for goalies like Timmy. He plays hard each and every game."

Lewis said he has not decided whether Thomas or Toivonen will play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

``I haven't gotten that far," Thomas said, when asked if he was thinking of playing again tomorrow. ``I'm trying to focus on playing the best I can, then take it from there."

After missing Wednesday's practice with the flu, Bergeron returned to practice yesterday, centering Phil Kessel and Brad Boyes on the second line. During special-teams drills, Bergeron skated on the top power-play unit, manning the point alongside Zdeno Chara. Marco Sturm, Marc Savard, and Glen Murray were the other players on the No. 1 unit, which Lewis, after much tinkering, said he's settled on for tonight's game.

``Great shot. Great vision. He's one of our top players," Lewis said of Bergeron's presence at the point.

``It's not a bad thing to have one of your top players there."

While there's no preferred method of attack on the power play, Bergeron said one of his main tasks will be setting up Chara for one-timers. Chara, a lefthanded shot, will be stationed at the right point, free to blast away.

``Zee [Chara] for one-timers is pretty obvious," Bergeron said. ``He's got a big shot. But I think all the guys on the unit can score. Muzz [Murray] can score from anywhere. Sturmy [Sturm], too. Savvy [Savard] dishes the puck so well."

The No. 2 unit, according to yesterday's drills, will have Paul Mara and Brad Stuart at the points. Kessel, Boyes, and P.J. Axelsson will be the forwards.

Petr Tenkrat was placed on waivers Wednesday but was not claimed yesterday. Tenkrat practiced and was planning to travel with the team to Florida. Tenkrat and Wade Brookbank were the spare forwards yesterday, dressed in red jerseys . . . Milan Jurcina (left elbow contusion) practiced again and will travel to Florida, but Lewis said the defenseman will most likely not play tonight. If Jurcina does not play, Jason York and Nathan Dempsey would be the third defensive pairing. Yesterday, Lewis paired Mara with Stuart and Chara with Andrew Alberts . . . Kessel, informed Tuesday that he'd break camp with the big boys, is still living in a local hotel. The team has not made plans for the rookie's permanent housing yet . . . The Bruins have been eating well lately. On Tuesday, they had a team barbecue at Ristuccia along with office personnel. Last night, they planned to have a team dinner at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., steak house. Lewis planned to thank the players for their hard work, but didn't have a formal speech in mind. ``When you talk at a meal, you sit down with players and talk about different things," Lewis said. `` `How are the kids doing? How's the family? Phil, do you have a car yet?' You don't do that in a meeting, on the ice in practice, or in the airplane. So it's a more relaxed atmosphere. People get to interact at a different level."