PHILADELPHIA – The Bruins know that they have a real opportunity to prove something this postseason. They can prove that last year’s playoffs collapse was a one-time occurrence , that great regular season goaltending does mean something come spring and that they can get past the second round. They’re on their way to proving some of those things, but so far the biggest thing they have proven has been rather odd.

The Bruins, up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers, might be sending a message to the league with their winning, but they’re sending another message to anyone watching: if you want to see the Bruins win a game, you had better be ready to watch more than 60 minutes of hockey. The way this postseason has gone, the Bruins have rarely won in regulation, but the results are there.

As the final seconds have ticked off the third period, the Bruins have gone over to Tim Thomas to celebrate a victory just twice this postseason. Somehow, that hasn’t been a problem. In fact, despite winning only two games in regulation thus far in the playoffs, the Bruins are within two victories of heading to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1993. 

How is this happening? It’s a good question. Considering how rough things were for the Bruins in shootouts in the regular season (2-6), it’s been clear this postseason that the Bruins clearly are better suited for settling extra-long games the old-fashioned way. 

“We didn't have the best shootout team in the regular season, but luckily we're kind of getting the breaks in OT right now,” Brad Marchand, who had the game-tying goal at 14:15 of the first period Monday, said after Monday’s 3-2 overtime victory. “It gets too nerve-racking, [to the point] where you've just got to start winning regulation.”

Of the four Bruins’ overtime victories this postseason (they haven’t fallen in OT to this point in these playoffs), they haven’t necessarily been the better team in all of them. They mounted three big comebacks in Game 4 of the quarterfinals vs. the Canadiens and clearly had momentum on their side. Game 5 was evenly matched for the most part, as was Game 7. Monday night, however, was the type of win where a team can just sit back afterwards and thank their lucky stars that overtime has been a wonderful time for them. Either way, it resulted in a 3-2 overtime win courtesy of David Krejci, and a 2-0 series lead. 

“They dominated us tonight,” Marchand said. “We didn't play the game that we can. They said they were going to come out hard, and they did. They easily should have won that game, and Timmy [Thomas] kind of bailed us out there.” 

The Flyers outshot the Bruins by 20 in the third period and overtime Monday, holding a 32-12 shots on goal advantage and making Thomas’ night a little more difficult. Yet as the Flyers applied far more pressure towards the end of the game, the B’s kept the midset that it takes only one opportunity to get their desire result. That opportunity came when David Krejci fired a shot past Brian Boucher with six minutes left in the first OT period. It isn’t something the Bruins are assuming they’ll get each time out, but so far they’re 4-for-4.

“We're hoping for that [one play], but you don't sit back and kind of rely on that. We tried to use the break in between overtime and the third period to kind of regroup, but they kept pressing and kept pressing,” Marchand said. “They played unbelievable. It was a great play for the guys to bury that and for [Krejci] to bury that, but they easily could have had that in overtime.” 

On a night in which James van Riemsdyk (2 G, 7 SOG), dominated the ice, it was hard to imagine any other player stealing the spotlight from the 21-year-old Flyers’ winger, but Thomas was just that man as the game went on. When overtime began, Thomas carried over his play from the third period (22 saves) and stopped each shot he faced – just as he has through four overtime games dating back to Game 4 of the Canadiens’ series. 

The favorite to win the Vezina based on numbers that included an NHL record .938 save percentage, Boston’s netminder has been a major asset as the contests have gone beyond 60 minutes. Thomas outdueled fantastic efforts from Carey Price in the first round, and on Monday he came up big once again. After allowing two goals in the first period to van Riemsdyk, Thomas shined en route to a 52-save performance and his fourth overtime win in as many tries.

“He was, by far, the star of the game tonight,” Claude Julien said of his goaltender after Monday’s win. “He made some outstanding saves, especially when they started coming at us. [The Flyers] had some unbelievable scoring chances, and he stood tall. He made some great saves. If it wasn’t for Timmy, we might not be standing here with a win, but that is what goaltenders do for you in the playoffs.”

The Bruins will return home to TD Garden, where they will try to take a commanding (right?) 3-0 series on Wednesday. Based on their postseason, it’s hard to tell just how long it will take.