Tim Thomas: Save of the Playoffs? Witness the Desperation Save on Brian Gionta

One night after Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks scores the goal of the playoffs, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas made what may be the save of the playoffs.

With the game on the line in the second overtime, Thomas finds himself facing a 2-on-1 breakaway situation against Montreal Canadiens Travis Moen and Brian Gionta.

After Moen passed the puck away from both himself and the lone Bruins defender, Gionta had a clear shot on net with Tim Thomas out of position.

Or so he thought.

As he shot the puck, Thomas slid over in desperation, trying against all odds to prevent the shot from finding twine. His efforts came to fruition as the Vezina Trophy favorite came up with a brilliant save with his pad. That save kept the Bruins' chances of winning the game alive.

Actually, it may have improved them, believe it or not.

"That was huge for us. That was a big lift. He’s been doing that all year, and what a special goaltender he is. That definitely gave us a big lift and gave us a little bit more momentum to carry on after that," said teammate Nathan Horton.

If anybody knew what that save may or may not have done for the Bruins' momentum, it would be Horton.

Four minutes after Thomas' save, Horton scored the game-winning goal to give his Bruins a 2-1 double overtime win and a 3-2 series lead over the Canadiens.

So, oddly enough, Thomas' miraculous save may have actually won the game for Boston.

In a game littered with great plays, Thomas' save may actually be overlooked a bit. However, there is no doubt that this save was the save of the series, and quite possibly the save of the playoffs when all is said and done.

Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins will carry this win into the Bell Centre as they hope to advance to the second round of the playoffs with a win in Game 6 on Tuesday.

Kevin Yeung is a contributor for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @flylikea_KYte.

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