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Thomas stands firm to help Bruins edge out Maple Leafs

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-18 15:09

TORONTO - Tim Thomas shone in goal for the Boston Bruins as the in-form visitors battled to a 3-2 victory over a struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (L) celebrates his shutout as Vancouver Canucks Henrik Sedin skates off the ice during NHL play in Vancouver, British Columbia October 28, 2008. [Agencies]

The Bruins were outplayed for a majority of the game by the Maple Leafs, who returned home after a week-long road trip, but Thomas made several big saves to help Boston improve to 9-1-1 in their past 11 games.

"At different points in the season you have to win in different ways," Thomas told reporters after his 28-save effort.

"We got some bounces tonight and took advantage of them.

"Could we have played better? Definitely. Are we happy with the two points? Definitely."

Matt Hunwick scored his first ever NHL goal for the Bruins while Michael Ryder and Phil Kessel added the others as the Northeast Division-leading Bruins maintained second place overall in the Eastern Conference.

"It wasn't our best game, but it says a lot about us a team when we can win and not play that well," Ryder said. "I think teams in this league are starting to recognise we are a pretty good team.

"Good teams win some games maybe they shouldn't win."

Toronto coach Ron Wilson felt his team deserved more from the contest.

"I can't complain about our effort, especially after the trip we just went through," Wilson said. "We had territorial advantage and we hit three posts and one crossbar. The puck just didn't go in."

The Leafs played three games in Western Canada last week, losing two of them. They returned home 24 hours before the game and appeared sluggish early, falling behind 2-0 in the first period on goals by Kessel and Hunwick.

Jason Blake got one goal back for the Leafs before the first period ended, but Ryder's shot at 14:11 of the second beat Toronto goalie Vesa Toskala up high and turned out to be the game winner.

"I haven't been scoring a lot of goals so it's a relief," Ryder, who signed a three-year free agency contract with the Bruins in the off-season, said of his third goal of the campaign.

"The guys have been very patient with me and as long as we are winning, my goal total doesn't matter that much."

Mikhail Grabovski scored the other Toronto goal.

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