The final games of the regular season are about a few different things for a team gearing up for the playoffs. To the naked eye, the most obvious thing that stands out is that the Bruins are within three points of the Capitals for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. With a game in hand, playing for the second spot is enough to keep the B’s motivated to finish the regular season strong.

The last couple of weeks are also about getting guys fresh for the playoffs. Both Claude Julien and the players have spoken at length about making sure players are feeling good for the postseason, and by the looks of it, it seems their best player is heating back up at the right time. Tim Thomas is playing at the level that made him an obvious favorite to win the Vezina in the first month of the season. 

October is a month that many around these parts associate with playoffs. Red Sox fans have seen their beloved baseball team win championships twice over the last seven years, but October also means something for the Bruins this year as they hope to play into June. In allowing one goal over his last three starts, a span that has included two shutouts, Thomas has done something he had not done since the first month of the season. His last four starts have been dominant, and after a campaign that seemed destined to be the best of all-time by a goaltender turned into just a stellar campaign due to a mid-year slump, Thomas is back on track. 

The argument could be made that Thomas was never actually “off track,” but when comparing his numbers from earlier in the season with the 15 goals he allowed over 10 periods from Feb. 9-15, it’s quite clear his production wasn’t where it was in October (0.50 GAA).

“It’s amazing, he’s been great for us all year and then the minute he only becomes good, everybody talks about him being in a slump,” Julien said after Tuesday's game, a 3-0 victory over the Blackhawks in which Thomas picked up his ninth shutout. “I don’t think he’s ever been bad for us this year. He’s been good sometimes, but he’s been great most of the time.”

The reason such a stink is made over Thomas’ level of play is because “good” won’t bring them the Stanley Cup that has eluded the organization since 1972. There is no player more important to the Bruins’ success this season than Thomas, and the October version of him makes opponents’ nights much harder than the February one.

Now, with two goals allowed over his last four games, Thomas has recently played as the half-a-goal-per-night pace with which he began the season. He noted after Tuesday’s game that he believes shutouts are overrated, and that when it comes to how he feels now vs. the month of February, it isn’t too far off.

“I didn’t feel that bad during that stretch,” Thomas said of his season’s rough patch. “I mean, there were shots that were hitting off of people that were going wide and going in. Having said that, I do feel good right now again, but I didn’t feel all that bad before. It’s a fine line for a goalie.”

Regardless of how Thomas felt then, the team has to feel good about where their netminder’s performance is just two weeks away from the playoffs. Only two Vezina-winning goaltenders have won the Stanley Cup in the same season since 1988, but the B’s have to like their chances of riding a goaltender as hot as Thomas to postseason success.

If the season were to end today, Thomas’ .940 save percentage would set the record for the greatest ever by a goaltender in a single season, surpassing Dominik Hasek’s .937 mark in the 1998-99 season. All of this after the 36-year-old seemed set to relinquish the league lead in multiple statistics to Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne two weeks ago speaks to how much Thomas has returned to an elite level. 

After making 32 saves on the ice Tuesday, Thomas treated questions about the B’s goaltending situation like they were more Blackhawks shots. He politely deflected inquiries as to whether Tuukka Rask getting more time has allowed him to get himself fresh. 

“I’m kind of letting them manage,” Thomas said. “And I’m just playing when I’m told to play, and just kind of approaching it day by day like that. So, I guess I’ll think of the overall plan, how it went, after the year’s over. I don’t want to spend the energy to think about it now. I’d rather pass that responsibility on and leave my energy to keep doing what I do.”