Tim Thomas Shuts Out Senators as Bruins Snap Four-Game Skid

Things could have gone from bad to worse on Monday night as the Bruins entered the game having lost four straight, but Tim Thomas came through in the clutch to give the B's their first win in nearly two weeks against division rival Ottawa.

Thomas and the Bruins were able to put together a 2-0 shutout of the Senators, who entered the game with a one-point lead over the B's in the division.

Boston eventually broke the bank-and-forth scoreless affair as they popped a pair of goals in the third period to pick up the win and leap past the Sens to steal second place by a point in the standings.

Bruins 2, Senators 0
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dec. 21, 2009

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Headliner: Tim Thomas stood on his head to snap a personal four-game winless skid as he kicked aside all 29 shots he faced in the B’s first win since Dec. 10. The blank-job by Thomas was his fourth shutout of the season and the 16th of his career.

Grinder: Patrice Bergeron broke the seal in the final frame as he popped his ninth goal of the season and just his second of the month. The B's center is plus-4 in his last three games and leads the squad with 27 points.

Center Marc Savard snapped a five-game pointless streak when he assisted on Marco Sturm's goal late in the third. The assist was Savvy's seventh of the season while Sturm picked up his 10th goal.

Weak Link: Boston was unable to convert on three power plays. Boston hasn't popped a power-play goal in five games now, with its last one coming in the third period of their 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs back on Dec. 10.

Key Moment: Just a few minutes into the third period, Shawn Thornton created a turnover in the Sens zone as Ottawa was attempting to break it out. The B’s bruiser tossed it on net before Bergeron banged home the rebound to break a scoreless tie.

What’s Next: The Bruins head home for a pre-Christmas tussle with the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night at the Garden.

The B’s topped the Thrashers back on Nov. 19 in Atlanta in a shootout, snapping what was then a three-game losing streak. Patrice Bergeron netted the shootout winner while Michael Ryder popped a pair of goals in regulation.

Atlanta dropped a Monday night tilt to the Canadiens in overtime despite getting a big game out of Nik Antropov who had a pair of third-period goals.