Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - In a sport like hockey, an 82-game schedule is going to take its toll on one's body. In fact, if you aren't bloodied and bruised this time of the year, chances are you have been listed as a healthy scratch on more than one occasion.

Apparently, no team is more aware of this fact than the Boston Bruins, the current front-runner for the always-coveted Presidents' Trophy.

Given their approach to utilizing goaltender Tim Thomas, Boston has begun subscribing to something of a post-lockout trend: a fresh netminder equals a championship.

The NHL leader with 85 points, the Bruins have turned to Thomas, their clear- cut No. 1 goaltender, just 34 times this year. The 34-year-old has responded with a 24-5-5 record, an NHL-best .932 save percentage, a 2.10 goals against average that ranks second in the league, and a career-high tying three shutouts.

While the rest of the Bruins - and a majority of the league - are limping from game to game, Thomas is having no such difficulties.

"It doesn't feel like a normal February to me," the goaltender said in a conference call with the league on Monday. "It feels like...December, just because of the lack of wear and tear."

Thanks to solid play by backup goaltender Manny Fernandez, who is 14-3-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .925 save percentage in 20 games this year, the Bruins are following a path laid out by several recent participants in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Of the six teams to play for the right to lift the Stanley Cup over the past three seasons, four have featured goaltenders that have received the bulk of the work in the postseason after playing in fewer than 44 games in the regular season. That includes a pair of clubs - Detroit and Carolina - that have won titles.

Using a combination of Chris Osgood (43 games) and Dominik Hasek (41 games) last season, the 2008 Red Wings went with Osgood in the postseason and won their 11th title in team history.

The 2006 Hurricanes, meanwhile, turned to Cam Ward in the '06 postseason to knock off the Edmonton Oilers in the finals. Then a rookie, Ward had played in just 28 games in the regular season before taking over for Martin Gerber (60 regular-season appearances) in the postseason.

Like the teams that beat them, two of the last three Stanley Cup runners-up featured fresh goaltenders.

In 2006, the Oilers acquired Dwayne Roloson from the Wild at the trade deadline, and he played in just 43 combined games with Edmonton and Minnesota before his postseason run.

Two years later, injury limited Penguins starting netminder Marc-Andre Fleury to a mere 35 regular-season games, but he returned in time for the postseason to help lead Pittsburgh to last year's final round.

In Boston, Thomas is hoping that similarly limited appearances will help his team make a run toward the ultimate prize.

"I personally am a believer that you cannot play 65 or 70 games and be at 100 percent in the playoffs, or at least for a long run in the playoffs," said Thomas.

That doesn't always hold true, though.

The 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks proved the lone Cup-winning exception to the trend since the lockout, as Jean-Sebastian Giguere appeared in 56 games before leading his team to a championship in the league's second season.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils have long had success running Martin Brodeur out there every night, and the current Atlantic Division leaders have maintained that singular approach despite an injury to Brodeur. Scott Clemmensen (36 games) has taken over Brodeur's role as an everyday netminder and is carrying the baton effectively.

Also, two of the three division leaders in the Western Conference aren't using a rotation system in goal. Evgeni Nabokov has played in 39 games this year for the West-leading San Jose Sharks, a number that would likely be higher if not for an early-season lower-body injury, while Miikka Kiprusoff has appeared in 49 games for the Northwest Division-leading Calgary Flames.

Of course, without two solid goaltenders, a rotation system isn't possible, and the Bruins are a team that has such a luxury.

Thomas has emerged as a Vezina Trophy candidate for a club that has challenged him to earn every start he has made for the Bruins.

He split time with Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen in 2005-06 before making 66 appearances the following season. Thomas started 30 games, but that didn't stop Boston from trading for Fernandez prior to the 2007-08 season. Fernandez figured to get the bulk of the starts that season, but was limited to just four games due to a knee injury.

Thomas went on to win another 28 games last year with a 2.44 GAA and .921 save percentage, and helped the surprising Bruins grab the eighth spot in the East.

He has yet to loosen his grip on the starting role this year, even if Boston wants him to take a night off every now and then.

"I think with the new NHL, each game takes more energy than it used to compared to the old NHL, just because of the style of play," argued Thomas. "So in my personal opinion, I think the days of goalies playing 70 games should be over."