Thomas ends his slump by holding off Maple Leafs

U.S. Olympian Tim Thomas, back from Vancouver and back from a slump that sent the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to the bench, made 24 saves in regulation and overtime and added three more in the shootout Thursday night to lead the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Miroslav Satan, who scored Boston’s first goal, had the only goal in the shootout.

Thomas stopped Tyler Bozak with a pad save to end it, then started pumping his glove to celebrate Boston’s first victory in Boston since the New Year’s Day Winter Classic, and the Bruins’ first victory of 2010 in TD Garden.

Bozak and Viktor Stalberg scored for Toronto, which has lost four straight games. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 29 saves.

Johnny Boychuk also scored for Boston.

Thomas had not won since Jan. 14 and he had not started since Feb. 2, a hiatus that included the last seven Bruins games and the entire Olympic tournament for the silver-medal-winning United States.

But he stopped several breakaways, holding off former Bruin Phil Kessel at point-blank range three times in regulation and again in the shootout.

Boston led 2-1 before Bozak scored to end a scramble in the middle to tie it in the third period.

It stayed that way for the last 13:48 of regulation and five minutes of overtime -- and the first five shots of the shootout.