Thomas not quite gifted enough
Tiny lapse spoiled a solid performance
No need for a cake or a card to mark his 34th birthday. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas would rather have received nothing from the Canadiens last night.
Instead, he was the recipient of a Patrice Brisebois blast that rattled off the pipe behind him, bounced in, and stood as the only goal in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss that gave Montreal a 3-1 series advantage.
Unfortunately, it was his mates who couldn't mark his special day with the offense needed to even the series.
"He's been playing excellent for us, giving us a chance to win, and we didn't give him much offense," said Marc Savard, who contributed two shots and won 14 of 20 faceoffs.
"We played well for him," said Milan Lucic, who registered one shot and a team-high five hits. "But when we get opportunities like we had, we need to bear down."
"We did so many things right," said Thomas. "When you lose by one goal, it's hard to take. Having said that, we have to find a way to recover and not give up hope because we're right in there. We could be up, 3-1, as easily as we're down, 3-1."
On Brisebois's goal, there was a mass of battling bodies in front of the net, and Thomas didn't see the puck. He braced himself, heard the crowd's reaction, then reached behind him to find a surprise birthday present of the worst kind.
"I saw him winding up to take the shot, and then I lost it," said Thomas. "I tried to make myself as big as possible, to take up as much of the net as I could.
"Then I heard it hit the [crossbar], and I heard the crowd cheer, so I thought it didn't go in - I thought it went up in the netting. I couldn't see the puck because it was buried in the net.
"Then I saw the Canadiens guys celebrating . . . what?" said Thomas, feigning bewilderment as he told of his reaction.
It was the only time Thomas was dazed last night. He made 27 saves in an unspectacular but steady effort.
"I think he's just continuing, for the most part, the majority of his entire season," mused defenseman Andrew Ference. "Maybe we're just getting used to it."
No doubt that when they're playing well - as they did in Game 3 and in the early part of Game 4 - Thomas reaps the benefits of the Bruins' tight defense. But remember when Thomas was considered a journeyman? He's ditching that label before our eyes.
"Rightfully so," said Ference. "The way he's played, the consistency through an entire season, he's definitely done everything you can to get us to the playoffs and hold us in these games."
It was a defensive breakdown that led to the goal. With less than a minute remaining in the second period, Montreal forward Andrei Kostitsyn danced around the pack of bodies slugging it out in front of Thomas. Kostitsyn eluded Mark Stuart by wheeling around the net, then flung a low shot that bounced off Thomas's pads.
"The puck came out right to my blade," said Brisebois, who blasted it past Thomas with 42 seconds to go in the period. "That was not a shot to get a deflection. I saw the hole and put my Sherwood on it hard."
It was a shame that Thomas's lone mistake became magnified. But he isn't dwelling on it.
"We've been in situations where we've had to win, right up at the end of the year there," said Thomas. "We've been against that kind of pressure. Hopefully we can rise up to the challenge again. It's not over unless we let it be over."
With a 3-1 lead heading back to Montreal, these are fun times for the Canadiens. As the only team in the league not to lose three games in a row this year, they'd have to suffer that fate if the Bruins are to celebrate anything.
Game 5 is tomorrow. It's doubtful Thomas would complain about a belated birthday celebration. 