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Tim Thomas: “We’re stuck. I don’t have answers.”

Tim Thomas, Dennis Seidenberg, Evgeni Malkin

In this photo shot with a fisheye lens, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (44) look into the goal after Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin (71) scored during the first period of Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win in an NHL hockey game in Boston Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

AP

At one point not too long ago, the Boston Bruins seemed like an unstoppable wrecking ball of a team. The defending champions represented the most compelling choice for back-to-back Cup wins in quite some time.

Now the Bruins must worry about losing their division and/or sliding to the third seed - and who knows what once the playoffs begin.

In good times and bad, much of the focus shines upon two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Tim Thomas. (That seems especially fair since he allowed six Florida Panthers goals last night.) CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty caught up with the struggling goalie, who seems downright stumped right now.

"[I] don’t know if I’ve ever been part of a run like this,” Thomas said. “We’re stuck. I don’t have answers.”

Thomas certainly hasn’t provided many answers in March in particular. He’s 3-5-0 in that time, but it’s his individual numbers that are of a bigger concern. Thomas has a hideous .842 save percentage and a ghastly 4.06 GAA in nine unsettling appearances this month.

(Feel free to peruse his split stats and game log if you want to hatch White House slump-related conspiracy theories - start with Jan. 31’s game - but it’s especially clear that times have been rough since March rolled around. Personally, I think it’s a coincidence, but an amusing one in that.)

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Thomas isn’t responsible for the slump alone, but his numbers jump out the most. With Tuukka Rask seemingly far from a return from injury and Marty Turco looking rusty - to put it kindly - Thomas and the Bruins must look within for the answers to their plaguing questions.

Then again, maybe they should just look at their Stanley Cup rings - and all the times when their run almost fell short in 2011 - and realize that it was never supposed to be as easy as it looked from November to mid-January.