Tim Thomas’ Career Domination of Senators an Unprecedented Goaltending Feat

On Tuesday, the NHL will announce the final 36 players who will be added to the rosters for this year's All-Star Game.

With the league's top goals-against average (1.84) and save percentage (.944), a share of the lead in shutouts (five) and an impressive 18-4-6 record, Tim Thomas should definitely get selected. If he got to play Ottawa every night, there would be no need to even wonder.

Few players in league history have dominated one foe as thoroughly as Thomas has Ottawa. In 27 career games against the Senators, the Bruins' netminder is 17-8-2 with a 2.01 GAA, .934 save percentage and five shutouts.

That's the lowest GAA he has against any team he's faced five or more times, and the five shutouts are more than double the total he has against any other team.

And the scary thing is that his numbers are only getting better against them. In his last 16 games against Ottawa, Thomas is 12-3-1 with a 1.52 GAA. He posted a 29-save shutout in Ottawa in the clubs' first meeting this year, a 4-0 win for the Bruins on Oct. 30.

Thomas hasn't been quite as dominant at home, as he's lost his last three starts against Ottawa at the Garden. He's allowed seven goals on 65 shots in those games, including three on nine shots before getting pulled in a 5-1 loss last Jan. 18. He was also outdueled by Brian Elliott this year, as the Bruins lost 2-0 to visiting Ottawa despite 31 saves by Thomas on Nov. 13.

But Thomas has no such problems north of the border — and that extends beyond Ottawa. He's also 15-4-4 with a 2.80 GAA, .914 save percentage and two shutouts against Toronto. And he's really dominated the western Canadian clubs, with five shutouts in seven career starts against Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

In all, 12 of Thomas' 22 career shutouts have come against Canadian-based teams. Only Montreal has presented a challenge, with Thomas just 8-14-4 with a 3.05 GAA against the Habs, who are the only Canadian team he's never shut out.

Maybe Thomas just doesn't like the French verses in "O Canada." The Bruins may want to make sure Rene Rancourt doesn't sing the bilingual version on Tuesday, so that Thomas will be free to continue his domination of Ottawa.