By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff

Bruins fans are tired of this narrative (their goalie certainly is), but if there's going to be a time when Tim Thomas's January White House snub is brought up, it's today.

Thomas and the Bruins face the Washington Capitals tonight in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, the first game the teams are playing in the nation's capital. The DC media will likely ask Thomas about his decision to skip his team's trip to the White House earlier this year. Thomas is unlikely to answer the question. But the Bruins' goaltender won't get off the hook that easily, as some Capitals fans are also preparing to remind Thomas that he's playing just a couple of miles from the White House.

The Capitals fan blog Russian Machine Never Breaks is encouraging Caps fans to print out and bring with them paper cutouts of President Obama (samples above). A couple of other Capitals blogs are encouraging fans to do the same. The idea is that a distracted Thomas might be thrown off his game.

Will it work? Do you care? Any worries about Thomas being distracted?

Thanks to the Washington Post's D.C. Sports Bog for the tip.