BOSTON -- When the seventh round of the shootout rolled around last night, Boston Bruins coach Dave Lewis couldn't watch.

Actually, he said he wouldn't watch as rookie Phil Kessel popped in the game-winning goal in the sudden-death shootout as Boston skated away with a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Even though Kessel scored against Lightning goalie Marc Denis, beating him to the top right corner, Tampa still had one chance to prolong the contest, but the Bolts' Ruslan Fedotenko missed the net, giving the Bruins their eighth win in 10 games.

"It was great to see (Kessel) score," said Lewis. "He's excitable, and what a great moment for him."

Boston's first-round (5th overall) selection in last June's draft, Kessel is a soft-spoken guy, and he didn't have much to say after he scored on his first NHL shootout attempt.

"It feels good to help our team win," he said.

That was it.

The biggest reason Kessel was given the opportunity to put the Bruins over the top was the goaltending of Tim Thomas. He started his 17th consecutive game last night, and during the stretch the 32-year-old netminder hasn't showed any signs of fatigue. If anything, he's the type of player who performs better the more minutes he plays.

"He was probably the reason we were still in the game," said Lewis. "We were careless at times with the puck, and he reacted. He's reading plays really well. He's moving really well and he made some top saves for us."

Thomas finished with 31 saves, most of them worthy of the highlight reel. Time and again he found a way to stop the high-powered Lightning offense. While Boston got regulation goals from Brad Boyes, P.J. Axelsson (shorthanded) and Glen Murray, it was a pair of former college teammates that got the best of Thomas.

Tampa's Martin St. Louis (shorthanded) and Eric Perrin each scored a goal against his former University of Vermont teammate before Vincent Lecavalier added the Lightning's third goal.

"They both got one on me today," said Thomas. "They're both great players, that's for sure."

Even though it seemed like the six ounces of vulcanized rubber appeared to be beach-ball size for Thomas, he said he wasn't satisfied with his performance. That might change when he watches the game tape.

"In the first couple of periods, I wouldn't say I was fighting the puck, but it wasn't as easy as it has been in the previous games," he said. "Possibly, it might have had something to do with the flow of the game; it was kind of a weird flow. I actually had to battle to play well tonight."

If there was one save that summed up Thomas' performance, it came in overtime when he snared a point-blank shot by Lecavalier. The Bruins' goalie, not one to show off, made a tremendous glove save and framed it for all to see.

"Did I?," asked the Michigan native. "I must be playing against so many French goalies that I'm taking acts from -- no offense."

Because Thomas has been on top of his game, the Bruins have a good problem on their hands.

Now that Hannu Toivonen is back with the big club after a brief conditioning/rehab stint with the P-Bruins, he needs to see action.

"I want to get Toivonen back involved," said Lewis. "It has something to do with the schedule and how often you play a goalie. You would like to ride a goalie that is hot as long as you can, but you also worry about the long-term effect and fatigue. It's also important to have balance in the net, and we'll figure it out when it's the right time."

jmcdonal@projo.com / (401) 277-7340