Bruins win third straight in playoff push

BOSTON (Reuters) - The short-handed Boston Bruins, continuing to cope with a season-long barrage of injuries, have picked the perfect time to hit form as the NHL playoff race enters its final stages.

The Bruins, hoping to return to the playoffs after missing them for the last two years, won their third game in five days on Saturday when goalie Tim Thomas stopped 34 shots in a 4-0 home victory over the Ottawa Senators.

"It's fun to be a part of," Thomas said on the team's Web site.

The Bruins remained in eighth place in the Eastern Conference race but just one point behind the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. Boston leads the ninth-placed and in-form Washington Capitals by two points and has one more game to play than both Philadelphia and Washington.

The previously goal-starved Bruins this week lost top scorer Marc Savard, 22-goal scorer Chuck Kobasew and defenseman Andrew Ference to injuries.

But they have scored 14 goals in the three wins, allowing just four with Thomas in goal for all three triumphs.

"Our confidence in scoring goals was pretty low until these last couple of games, so I guess the biggest task right now is to remember how to do it," Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

P.J. Axelsson scored his first goal in 15 games, defenseman Shane Hnidy had his first since coming over from Anaheim in a trade and Marco Sturm and David Krejci also netted for the Bruins. Thomas claimed his third shutout of the season.

"The way guys are stepping up, it's incredible to watch as a team mate," Thomas said.