Tim Thomas has started 10 straight games since Peter Horachek replaced Kevin Dineen behind the bench. "Obviously, it gives the guys a lot of confidence. He is the strength back there. He's our best penalty killer. He's an important factor," Horachek said. "The fact that he's playing all the time is just because we need to keep pushing forward. We're going to utilize him a lot." Thomas is in consideration for Team USA for the Winter Olympics. However, he will be in tough to get a roster spot with Ryan Miller, Jimmy Howard, Cory Schneider, Ben Bishop and Jonathan Quick being looked at as well.