by By STEPHEN HARRIS , The Boston Herald

``It's a long season,'' said Thomas, the Vezina Trophy winner. ``It doesn't really matter what you did in October if you're lighting it up in January. Part of it is about peaking at the right time, but also if you've played consistently well over a period of years. Hopefully they look at that consistency.

``I haven't been in touch with anybody from USA Hockey to know what they're thinking.''

Thomas dipped to 5-5-0 last night, as the Bruins were shut out for the second successive game, 2-0, by the Red Wings.

Thomas (24 saves) said he feels good personally, and still is optimistic about the direction the team is going.

``I see a lot of good things,'' Thomas said. ``We made a couple of mistakes which ended up costing us, and obviously we weren't able to put the puck in the net. We were right there sniffing around the edge. The puck just isn't going in for us.''

Civic duty

The Bruins' Mark Recchi and Detroit's Niklas Lidstrom, two guys who could well enter the Hall of Fame together, met Monday in their roles on a committee working to sort out the mess within the NHL Players Association. San Jose's Rob Blake and Chris Chelios of the AHL Chicago Wolves are also on the committee.

It's immediate task is the hiring of outside experts to investigate the union's tangled affairs. Lidstrom and Recchi declined to comment.

``We've decided it's important, for once, to try and keep all this internal,'' said Recchi.

A digression: Chelios, 47, is playing well in his bid to get back to the NHL. In five games, he has 1-4-5 totals and a plus-7.

Getting a chance

With Byron Bitz remaining off the ice with a groin strain, center Trent Whitfield again skated at right wing on the B's fourth line.

``I've done it a little bit here and there,'' said Whitfield of playing on the wing. ``For the most part I've been up the middle, but there were times when I came up and was asked to play on the wing. Obviously in my position you want to be able to play as many positions as possible to give yourself as much opportunity to play as possible. I take as much pride in trying to win faceoffs as I do in battling on the boards like a winger does. If they need me on the wing I'll be ready.''

Power's out

Searching for power play production, coach Claude Julien used one line: Vladimir Sobotka, Blake Wheeler and Brad Marchand. The power play is 0-for-16 in the last five games, 0-for-3 last night. . . .

As much as the Bruins miss Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, the Red Wings are far more banged up. They were without six key regulars in defensemen Andreas Lilja, Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson, and forwards Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Brad May. . . .

Red Wings star Tomas Holmstrom had no goals in 14 career games against the B's before scoring in the first period last night.

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