Tim Thomas is a perfect 5-0 for the Boston Bruins this year. Despite that, his team sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The problem the Bruins have at this point is Thomas’s backup, Tuukka Rask who is like a yang to Thomas’s yin. Rask is 0-2. Combined, the two goalies have given the Bruins 10 points in seven games. Talk to anyone on the Bruins and they’ll probably tell you that’s not good enough.

The Bruins blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, giving Thomas his second shutout of the season. He now has a commanding lead among goalies with a .981 save percentage. The next best belongs to Pittsburgh’s Brent Johnson who is at .951. More impressive is Thomas’s 0.60 goals against average. Johnson again is in second, but is more than double Thomas at 1.39. Just for good measure, Thomas also has an assist this season.

To put things in perspective among the Bruins goalies, Thomas has stopped 153 of 156 shots and played a full 300 minutes. Rask, in 119 minutes, has given up seven goals on 66 shots. Thomas’s prior career bests were a 2.10 GAA and .930 save percentage in 2008-09, and he also had five shutouts in each of the last two seasons. His one assist also ties a career high. It’s early, but Thomas may be pacing himself to have the best year of his career, and the Bruins would love for him to do it in 2010-11.

Thomas isn’t going to keep this up forever, so the Bruins would be wise to capitalize on their hot goalie. They may only have 10 points and sit in sixth place at this early point in the season, but they’ve also played the fewest number of games in their conference. Two or three more stellar performances like this and they’ll climb the standings and put themselves in a position of strength. As is commonly said, a team can’t win a Stanley Cup in October, but a perfect goaltender certainly helps.