There's no letup with Thomas

In the National Hockey League, job security among goaltenders is an oxymoron. Sure, there are exceptions - Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, Miikka Kiprusoff in Calgary, Henrik Lundqvist in New York, Roberto Luongo in Vancouver, and Olaf Kolzig in Washington.

Don't expect Bruins netminder Tim Thomas to take anything for granted. For starters, it's not his nature. Add to that the turnover in coaches and front office personnel since Thomas joined the Bruins organization in 2002-03 and it translates into every outing being an audition for the next one.

It's likely Thomas will be between the pipes tonight at TD Banknorth Garden when the Bruins host the Chicago Blackhawks, as the 33-year-old said he's concentrating on getting to know his new teammates and learning coach Claude Julien's system.

"It's been good," said Thomas. "We're really working on becoming a team. I think we've done a good job of it so far. We're putting a system in place. We're still in the early stages, so to speak, but that puts us all on the same page and should make it easier for us to play every game because we all know our jobs, we all know our roles.

"I think that's helped and it's helped in the standings so far this year, too."

The former University of Vermont standout played his first full NHL season in 2006-07, playing 66 games. He was the most consistent player on a team that failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. With the switch from Dave Lewis to Julien, Thomas knew the players would have to prove themselves again, and he's fine with that.

"At the NHL level, it's always an audition," said Thomas. "There are very few goalies in the NHL who have the credit to not be on a permanent audition. It's human nature that you can let down if you ever feel too comfortable, so it definitely keeps you on your toes. It makes sure you're ready to come out and reprove yourself every time and every year."

The Bruins acquired Manny Fernandez in a trade, and he and Thomas have each played four games. Thomas is 3-1 and leads all NHL netminders in goals-against average (1.26) and save percentage (.962). Fernandez is at 3.93 and .832. Thomas is making a case for himself to be the go-to guy. He said one of the reasons he feels so good is that he spent the offseason in the area for the first time and worked out with the team's strength coach, John Whitesides.

"I worked out hard on the ice and did a little bit of goaltending thinking over the summer, so every little thing helps," Thomas said. "Because I was here, I had the opportunity to use a guy like John Whitesides. When I was home [in the Detroit area], I was basically on my own. I was always in good shape, but this summer I took it to a new level. It's the difference between a boxer training on his own or having a trainer. I took my cardio to a new level. Knowing that you've prepared as hard as you possibly can helps you mentally, too."

Julien said Thomas's attitude is one of the reasons he's been so successful.

"He's always been one of those guys who works hard and has had to work hard to get where he is now, and he's been rewarded for it," said the coach. "I don't think Tim Thomas has to prove to anybody anything anymore because he's a guy who has come in and worked hard and has had good results. Basically, everyone knows where he comes from and he's made a name for himself just with his work ethic. All he has to do is keep doing what's given him success.

"Dominik Hasek hasn't always looked pretty but he's been very effective, and I think Tim is like that in a lot of ways where he just competes so hard. He may not be the typical structured goalie that we see for the most part in the NHL, but he still gets the results and his competitiveness makes up for it."

One area in which the Bruins have been better this season is in the defensive zone. Last season, it was chaos for much of the time. Thomas said everyone is doing what they're supposed to do and trusting that their teammates will do the same, as opposed to trying to do too much. As a result, it's a much more organized situation, and no one benefits more than he does.

"When you know where your guys are going to be," said Thomas, "it makes it easier to know where their guys are going to be."

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com.