Too much time for Tim Thomas?

Remember when Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said that Tuukka Rask was going to see more playing time this season? It only took a few weeks for that plan to jump off the rails. The Bruins have played eight games this season and thus far, Tim Thomas is looking like the true #1 goaltender that Claude Julien rode all the way to the Cup last season. So what’s the deal?

This afternoon, Chiarelli talked to the media on a conference call and addressed Tuukka Rask and his lack of playing time:

“In fairness to Tuukka, he probably should have gotten another start here or there, but you see Tim, how he’s playing, and you want him to recapture some of the stuff that he had last year… What I see and observe is we’ve had had discussions on the goaltender situation. I think in the end you’ll see it go into line with what he originally put out there.”

This is the problem that coaches deal with early in the year when they’re dedicated to playing both goaltenders. There’s no question that the Tuukka/Thomas combo is one of the best goaltending duos in the league. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Julien can only play one goaltender at a time. There are some people will constantly clamor for the head coach to ride the “hot hand.” Some will say that Rask needs to get into more games to stay sharp. Some will say that Rask needs to play more to keep Thomas fresh for the end of the season.

What do you think about the Bruins goaltending situation? Do you think the Bruins are doing the right thing by consistently throwing Thomas out on the ice as they try to get their season back on track? Or should Rask get more ice time to keep the rotation going for a team that has two good netminders?