PHILADELPHIA – The Boston Bruins found a way to protect a lead against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tim Thomas stopped Scott Hartnell on a second-period penalty shot and finished with 41 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season in the Boston Bruins’ 3-0 victory Wednesday night.

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Bruins goalie Tim Thomas keeps the puck and the Flyers’ Scott Hartnell out of the net in the first period Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Thomas later stopped Hartnell’s penalty shot and made 41 saves in all for Boston. The Associated Press

The 36-year-old Thomas, 12-2-1 with an NHL-best 1.46 goals-against average and .955 save percentage, helped Boston beat Philadelphia in their first meeting since May when the Flyers rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to edge the Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We met a goalie that stops everything — backdoors, breakaways, some great chances in front,” Hartnell said. “He’s covering up the rebounds. It’s frustrating when you have so many chances and rebounds, two-on-ones, and everything. He’s there to make the save every time.”

Patrice Bergeron, rookie Tyler Seguin and Milan Lucic scored in Boston’s second win in its last six games.

Thomas improved to 9-0-0 on the road, the best road start since Chicago’s Glenn Hall also won his first nine games away from home in 1965-66.

Bergeron opened the scoring on a power play at 5:40 of the first period. Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Lucic’s attempt, but defenseman Sean O’Donnell’s clearing attempt went to Bergeron in the slot, and he fired a shot by Bobrovsky’s right arm.

Seguin scored with 4:48 left in the first, taking a pass from Michael Ryder and finding a place at the top of the net for his fifth goal of the season and first since Nov. 17.

Thomas was especially sharp in a 16-save second period, when he turned away Danny Briere from point-blank range, stopped Hartnell on a wraparound attempt and foiled Andreas Nodl streaking down the left side.

“Briere was right in front of the net,” Thomas said. “That was so quick. I surprised myself on it. I knew that luck was on my side after that. I made some other good saves, but none where I had to react that quick.”

Thomas stopped Hartnell again on a breakaway, then had to stop him again when a tripping call on Andrew Ference gave Hartnell a penalty shot. Hartnell committed to a backhand attempt, and Thomas easily turned it away.

“I tried to get him to bite on the fake shot, I went to the backhand and got it up,” Hartnell said. “He got a piece of the glove on it and obviously it stayed out.”

Thomas let the play come to him.

“You’d like to do that on every shooter,” Thomas said. “I played it the way I’ve been playing shootouts lately. I didn’t want to overthink it and think of what he might do.”

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