Of course, there are injuries. 

Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley, Daniel Paille and Benoit Pouliot and Tuukka Rask and now maybe Adam McQuaid and Patrice Bergeron. Also Marc Savard, who we almost forget about when adding up the injuries but shouldn't -- and I continue to submit that it's an absolute and total disgrace that Matt Cooke is paid millions of dollars to fly on private planes and stay in five-star hotels and play in the NHL while Savard sits and goes through the physical and mental hell that is almost exclusively due to Cooke. It's a column for another day, but I sometimes feel that Cooke belongs in prison about as much as he belongs on an NHL roster.

Anyway, there are injuries. Also this: The hangover is a very real thing. We've seen it hundreds and hundreds of times. There is no question in my mind -- none -- that it's really tough for a team that accomplished what the Bruins did last summer to remain motivated for 82 games the following year, particularly when a playoff spot is pretty much assured after a third of the season.

Injuries and hangovers happen, and both are significant factors as to why you've seen this Bruins team -- The Greatest Team Ever Assembled in November and December -- do the .500 shuffle for the last two and a half months. 

But the biggest reason they have been Just Another Team for all of 2012 is the same reason they celebrated in Vancouver after Game 7 last year.

Tim Thomas.

With the possible exception of Tom Brady, no athlete in Boston is as directly responsible for wins and losses as Thomas is to the Bruins (and I could even argue that Thomas trumps Brady -- the Bruins would not have the Stanley Cup with any other goaltender in the world last year, I think there are two or three quarterbacks who take the Patriots to the AFC title). 

Thomas was the best goaltender in the league in 2008-09 and guess what happened? The Bruins were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Two years later he's the best goaltender again and they win the Stanley Cup.

And let's get this myth out of the way, because it's gained some serious steam and will be reported as fact if Thomas has a lousy early playoff series and the Bruins get bounced: Whatever is going on with Thomas didn't start with the Obama stuff. 

Yup, Thomas has an .899 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA (compared to a league-best .938 save percentage and 2.00 GAA last season, or a .943 save percentage and 1.86 GAA in 16 starts in November and December of this season) since he decided to do something that is about as American as it gets -- tell the President that he'd rather not meet him and do so without the fear of having his head lopped off. I have no problem with what Thomas did, if he truly believes skipping what will probably be his only chance to join his teammates to be honored by the leader of the free world doesn't mean as much as whatever that Facebook post was or wasn't about, good for him. I'd have put any differences aside myself -- respected the office if not the man himself and all that -- but it means nothing from an actual on-ice perspective.

The Bruins (almost of all them, anyway) met President Obama on January 23, the day after Thomas gave up five goals in a win over the Flyers. Two starts before that he gave up four goals against the Lightning, which came a game after he allowed three in a win over the Devils. There was also the four goals allowed in the loss to the Canucks on January 7 and the four allowed to the Stars on New Year's Eve. 

It's an easy out to blame the White House snub, it gives a name and face to the what has happened to Thomas. But it's not the truth. Thomas didn't fall off a statistical cliff on January 23, he was already tumbling. His save percentage and GAA were actually better in February than January, which pretty much eliminates any idea that the controversy was any real factor.

But that doesn't change the reality. Thomas has been an average NHL goaltender for almost three months (and a terrible one in March), and the Bruins have been a .500 team. And if they are going to figure it out and make another run, Thomas has to be great. Not merely good, not one of the best in the league, but truly great. And if that means playing Marty Turco twice as much as planned over the rest of the regular season (and I'd start him in both Florida games this week and hold Thomas off until Saturday), do it. Sure, it'd be nice to have a top four seed, but at what cost? Am I missing something here, is home-ice a must? And is Thomas 26 years old? I'll take my chances with a rested Thomas and a five or six seed than burning him out to secure a two or three seed. It's just not worth it. 

At the end of the day -- if the Stanley Cup is the only goal -- it's all about Thomas? Sure, Horton can come back and play well and that's terrific, but what does it really mean if the Thomas we've seen over the last couple on months is the Thomas that shows up for the postseason? 

It means one and done. 

And there won't be any need to worry about another White House controversy.