Panthers Place Tim Thomas on Injured Reserve After Goalie Gets Reinjured Against Blackhawks

Tim Thomas‘ return to the NHL probably isn’t going the way he drew up.

The Florida Panthers veteran goalie has looked every bit of his 39-year-old age in his return to the league after sitting out last season. The goalie injured his groin just three games into the season but did recently return feom that injury. That didn’t last long, though.

Thomas reaggravated that groin injury Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The tweak is apparently bad enough to land Thomas on injured reserve. The Panthers made the move to place him on IR on Wednesday, which means he won’t play in the team’s games on Friday or Sunday against the Sabres and Lightning respectively.

Thomas was making his third straight start since returning from the original injury, which he suffered on Oct. 8 against the Flyers. He’s 2-3-0 in his six appearances this season with a 3.11 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. While it is early in the season, his goals against and save percentage totals are Thomas’ worst since 2006-07, his second full season in the NHL.