The Boston Bruins have no number one goaltender.
They have two.
Manny Fernandez (9-2-1) and Tim Thomas (12-3-3) have been battling it out all season long to become the Bruins' number one goalie, but with the way they have both been playing, it seems they both deserve the number one role.
The Bruins, atop the NHL's Eastern Conference, have been playing stellar hockey of late, and goaltending is one of the main reasons why.
Manny Fernandez is a solid goalie, but throughout his career, consistency been a big issue. His frequent hot and cold streaks are not what being a number one goalie is all about. However, he was a winner with Minnesota and is proving himself to be one in Boston as well.
Tim Thomas, the 34-year old Flint, Michigan native, is also a very solid goalie, it just took him longer to prove himself than Manny. Thomas jumped from league to league, at one time playing for Karpat, a team from Finland. Thomas' main weakness is his five-hole. This is clear if you ever watch him play in a shootout. Although during games, he flops around like a fish in front of the net, he stops pucks and that's all that matters.
If I had to build a team around one of them, it would be Thomas, no question. No disrespect for Fernandez, but at the end of the day, it comes down to stopping pucks and Thomas is just better at it than Fernandez.
The Bruins, off to their best start in years look to ride these two goalies deep into the playoffs, and the way they are playing right now, that is a big possibility.
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