Tim Thomas

Zdeno Chara scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. Daniel Paille scored in regulation, and Tim Thomas stopped 41 shots to help the Bruins end a three-game losing streak. Thomas has won four of his last five road games. Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks, and Evgeni Nabokov made 30 saves. Dan Heatley assisted on Thornton's goal, giving him seven points in his last seven games. The Bruins played without centers Patrice Bergeron or Marc Savard for the third straight game.

The New York Rangers' success has been the big story in the East, and rightfully so. The Philadelphia Flyers draw attention thanks to quirky goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov , who can be riveting or terrifying. And most hockey observers have narrowed the most-valuable-player contenders to Flyers winger Claude Giroux , Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin . In the meantime, another East team has been positioning itself for a strong playoff run. The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, almost written off after a 3-7 start and later plagued by inconsistency, have quietly won four of five games and solidified their hold on the No. 2 seeding.

Let me get this straight: The Clippers overpaid for a 36-year-old point guard in Sam Cassell (he'll turn 37 the first month of the season) and overpaid for a player who is notorious for playing hard only during contract years in Tim Thomas, while the Lakers filled a need by signing a 25-year-old sharpshooter in Vlad Radmanovic. Yet J.A. Adande hails the Clippers as the "winners" of the cross locker-room rivalry when it comes to free agency. Really? I guess J.A. forgot that the Lakers needed someone exactly like Radmanovic in the playoffs last year.

From Vancouver, Canada — The goaltender no one wanted made more saves than anyone had ever made in the Stanley Cup finals, and the team that twice skated away from a playoff abyss defied the odds again to claim the toughest trophy to win in professional sports. The Boston Bruins won the Cup on Wednesday by playing a near-perfect game in front of Tim Thomas and stifling the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0, at Rogers Arena. In winning their first title since 1972, the Bruins became only the fourth road team to win a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals in 16 tries, thanks largely to Thomas.

I have four Clippers season tickets that I want to get rid of for $500 each. No, I am not selling them . . . I am offering to pay anyone $500 per ticket just to take them off my hands! Marc Popkin Brentwood -- Now that Mike Dunleavy has replaced Elgin Baylor as the Clippers' GM, maybe he'll fire the coach. Mark Matsuno Glendale -- After watching the Clippers lose their first four games by an average of 19 points, I know exactly what the problem is. Mike Dunleavy is the worst coach in the NBA, period!

NEWARK, N.J. — David Clarkson had a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils scored three times in the first period against Tim Thomas and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night. Clarkson took the shot that Rob Niedermayer deflected in and then scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0. Zach Parise finished the barrage that assured the Devils (41-24-3) their 18th straight .500-plus season. Blake Wheeler scored for the third consecutive game to cut Boston's deficit to 3-1 at 43 seconds of the middle period, but the eighth-place Bruins failed to stretch their lead at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

I remember the good old Page 2 days when you could go into almost any locker room here and run into a puffed-up dunderhead spouting nonsense. I envy those guys who got to talk to Barry Bonds on Tuesday. Looking back, those were the days, all right, with Kevin Brown and Jose Guillen, and most recently there was Kenny Lofton, but as the years have gone by and the local public relations directors have made a point of preparing their players for Page 2, it's become hugs all around.

Tim Thomas, the clutch-shooting forward who helped knock both Los Angeles teams out of the NBA playoffs this spring, signed a free-agent contract with the Clippers on Thursday. A versatile forward who can play three positions, Thomas signed a four-year, $24-million deal. He averaged 15 points against the Lakers and the Clippers in the playoffs as a member of the Phoenix Suns, production Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy hopes will carry over.

Reaffirming his authority, Coach Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday said he alone determines playing time for the Clippers. Dunleavy explained how things work on the team in response to reporters' questions about Corey Maggette's critical comments directed at him after the Clippers' loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Despite the pain of a sprained left wrist that prompted him to sit out the last game and a half, injured forward Tim Thomas said he would try to play tonight against the New Orleans Hornets because "every game is important right now and we definitely don't need this" with a playoff berth at stake. Thomas injured his non-shooting wrist while falling in the second quarter of Saturday's loss to the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center and did not return in the second half.

Reporting from Boston Another day, another exchange of jabs between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals. To recap: After Maxim Lapierre scored on a carom off the end boards to give the Canucks a 1-0 victory in Game 5, Vancouver's Roberto Luongo was asked to analyze the play from a goaltender's perspective. "It's not hard if you're playing in the paint. It's an easy save for me, but if you're wandering out and aggressive like he does, that's going to happen," Luongo said.

Reporting from Boston The Stanley Cup finals have begun to seem more like a kindergarten spat than the NHL's showcase event. If Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows' finger-chomping, both teams' taunting and diving and defenseman Aaron Rome's illegal hit on Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton in Game 3 were not enough to leave a sour taste, then Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo took the animosity to a new level. After the Canucks' 1-0 victory Friday in Vancouver, which put them in position to win the Cup on Monday at TD Garden, Luongo said the Maxim Lapierre goal that eluded Boston netminder Tim Thomas "is an easy save for me, but if you're wandering out and aggressive like he does, that's going to happen.

From Vancouver, Canada Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was never anyone's prize prospect. The native of Flint, Mich., was drafted 217th by the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 and bounced around for years, playing college hockey at the University of Vermont before beginning an odyssey that wound through the best and worst minor leagues in North America, to Europe and back. He was past his 28th birthday when he made his NHL debut and did not become a regular with the Bruins until he was over 30. But his fearless, straight-ahead approach never wavered.

As the season winds down, voting will take place for the NHL's major trophies. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Assn. vote for the Hart (most valuable player), Calder (rookie of the year), Norris (top defenseman), Lady Byng (sportsmanship) and Selke (defensive forward) awards. General managers vote for the Vezina (best goaltender), and members of the NHL Broadcasters Assn. vote for the Jack Adams (coach of the year). The general manager of the year award — which needs a catchier name — will be selected by a panel of general managers, club executives and media.

NEWARK, N.J. — David Clarkson had a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils scored three times in the first period against Tim Thomas and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night. Clarkson took the shot that Rob Niedermayer deflected in and then scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0. Zach Parise finished the barrage that assured the Devils (41-24-3) their 18th straight .500-plus season. Blake Wheeler scored for the third consecutive game to cut Boston's deficit to 3-1 at 43 seconds of the middle period, but the eighth-place Bruins failed to stretch their lead at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Zdeno Chara scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. Daniel Paille scored in regulation, and Tim Thomas stopped 41 shots to help the Bruins end a three-game losing streak. Thomas has won four of his last five road games. Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks, and Evgeni Nabokov made 30 saves. Dan Heatley assisted on Thornton's goal, giving him seven points in his last seven games. The Bruins played without centers Patrice Bergeron or Marc Savard for the third straight game.

The Charlotte Bobcats used a zone defense, so the Clippers turned to Tim Thomas. Good move. The Clippers leaned on the long-range shooter Friday night in a 102-93 victory at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. In his best performance with the Clippers, Thomas scored a game-high 24 points on nine-for-12 shooting, including five three-pointers in eight attempts. He also had six rebounds and six assists in almost 40 minutes. "We did a great thing by going to Tim," Corey Maggette said.

When dubious-achievement awards are handed out in the NBA, the Clippers seem to always play some kind of role. And for Bill Simmons, ESPN.com columnist, his list of the top 450 players in the NBA was no exception. No. 450? Former Clipper and current Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand, whose season in Philadelphia was lost to injury almost before it began. His final game was Jan. 30.

Tim Thomas stopped 19 shots for his first NHL playoff shutout to help the Boston Bruins keep their season going with a 4-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. Phil Kessel scored twice, and Zdeno Chara gave Boston a big lift when he returned in the third period after leaving the ice in the second when he was slashed by Jussi Jokinen.

Marc Savard scored twice and Tim Thomas stopped 26 shots to lead the Boston Bruins past the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Michael Ryder scored for the fourth game in a row, and David Krejci also scored for the top-seeded Bruins, who swept the Hurricanes during the regular season and Friday night made it five straight -- by a total score of 22-7. Cam Ward made 20 saves, and Jussi Jokinen scored the lone goal for Carolina. Game 2 is Sunday in Boston.