It seems there is finally a solution to the Bruins’ issue of needing points while also needing to rest Tim Thomas: Play the Maple Leafs.  

Thomas, playing in his 13th consecutive game Monday, had quite literally the easiest game of his NHL career Monday. He faced only 13 shots (the lowest amount he’s ever seen in a full game in his eight seasons in the NHL), none of which were legitimate opportunities, and picked up his fifth shutout of the season. He also could have learned Spanish and fashioned a miniature canoe out of his stick, because the puck was in the Bruins’ zone so little that no one would have noticed. 

After the game, Thomas’ first question was from a reporter asking if he wanted to come out of the game and rest given how big a blowout it was. 

“I was getting rest out there, wasn’t I?” he responded.

If the Bruins could face opponents as out of it as the Maple Leafs every night, it sure would solve a lot of problems. Thomas, who has been near the top of players criticized during the Bruins’ recent struggles, got the shutout he needed, wasn’t overworked and -- most importantly -- felt good. 

And while Thomas isn’t about to say he’s fatigued or playing too much, he will admit that he hasn’t always felt 100 percent this season. The veteran netminder revealed after Monday’s game that he had a virus when Tuukka Rask went down with an abdominal strain/groin strain on March 3. 

That means when everyone was wondering whether Thomas would be able to handle a much bigger workload of the rest of the season, Thomas was just hoping he could be feeling himself as soon as possible. 

"I knew that I might be in a situation where I had to play a lot of games, but the only thing is, when it happened, I'd had a virus for a couple of weeks when Tuukka got hurt,” Thomas said after the win. “It took me about a week after he left to totally get over it, but now I'm feeling better.”

Thomas went 2-2-0 in the next week for the Bruins, allowing 12 goals. It was actually once he was feeling better that things got really ugly, as he allowed three first-period goals to the Penguins, a pair of goals to the Lightning in 18:35, and six goals to the Panthers last Thursday. 

It’s for that reason that goaltending is a position that requires a short memory. Thomas has allowed two goals over this last two games and helped the Bruins get four points that could go a long way should the B’s win the Northeast Division. 

Still, while Thomas could be turning that corner and returning to the dominant level at which the Bruins need him, the issue of rest will remain a factor. The Bruins aren’t playing again until Thursday in San Jose, and giving Marty Turco any of the games (two of the three opponents -- the Sharks and Kings -- are fighting for playoff spots) should be in the Bruins’ plans. Or they could just allow minimal shots and opportunities like they did Monday. 

“I started to feel better against Philadelphia, and I think you could see it in my play. And I felt good in practice this morning,” Thomas said. “I just wanted to carry it over no matter what kind of shots I had. With the way the team played tonight in front of me and being able to get away with it at zero will help me continue moving forward.”

KELLY EXTENSION? YOU’LL FIND OUT IN THE SUMMER 

The Bruins entered the season with a lot of players set to become free agents, and general manager Peter Chiarelli has done what he could to shorten that list. 

First was Rich Peverley, then David Krejci, then Johnny Boychuk and now Shawn Thornton. With each signing, Chiarelli has been asked the obvious “Who’s next?” question, and each time he’s answered it by saying that he doesn’t comment on negotiations but that he’d like to have guys back. After Boychuk’s extension, he revealed that he was in negotiations with the team’s other free agents-to-be. 

The answer after Thornton’s deal was a bit clearer. 

“No, the rest we’ve put off until after the season,” Chiarelli said of the team’s other free agents. “I’ve spoken to all of them, and I want them to focus on hockey, so we’re not doing any more until after the season.”

The Bruins have six remaining unrestricted free agents: Chris Kelly, Daniel Paille, Brian Rolston, Greg Zanon, Joe Corvo and Mike Mottau. On top of that, Rask and Benoit Pouliot will be restricted free agents. 

While something figures to get done with Rask, one of the more intriguing questions regarding the construction of this team this season has been what will happen with Kelly. The former Senator, for whom Chiarelli traded a second-round pick last February, is having a career year with a personal-best 18 goals on the season. He came up huge in the playoffs last spring and was named an alternate captain before his first full season with the team. He’s said he wants to be back, so it was only natural to ask him after the game about this new development. 

Turns out he hadn’t heard. 

"If you wouldn't have said that, I wouldn't have known that,” a smirking Kelly said of the news that Chiarelli wouldn’t give out any more extensions until the offseason. “Now I'm crushed.”

Kelly, as he often is with the media, was using his signature straight-faced sarcasm, but he doesn’t joke when it comes to the team’s success. While he’d probably like to have his contract taken care of, his top concern is winning games. 

“I think right now it's about the team,” Kelly said. “We're coming down the stretch. We need to be all focused on the task at hand, and that's playing every game to the best of our ability and going out there and winning those games. All the other outside distractions, that's what it is. Distractions.

“Obviously I'm happy for everyone that got signed, [Thornton], the other guys that got extended earlier in the year. But right now, I think the rest of us are just focused on coming to the rink, doing our job and helping this team do well.”

Kelly’s words suggest he buys into the Bruins’ program, and his play on the ice is exactly what a defensive-minded team like the Bruins covet, so both sides would be wise to find a solution. You’ll have to wait until the summer to see if they actually do.