The Caps will hold a morning skate in about 30 minutes at Centre Bell in downtown Montreal. About 100 media types will stare at Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov and assure colleagues they know what Bruce Boudreau is going to do about his goalie situation. Start Theodore even after he allowed two goals on two shots on Saturday night in Game 2? Start him in his hometown with all the pressure that comes along with that? Or go with the rookie, Varlamov, who was so brilliant under similar circumstances last season and has fared well in Montreal before?
Good luck with that. The decision has been made, of course. We’re just waiting to find out. My choice: Theodore. While his 20-0-3 record over the final three months of the season is absurdly misleading, he still posted solid numbers from Jan. 13 on. He just did. I don’t care about short leashes or making excuses for the Game 2 goals or last season’s playoff meltdown. Start the veteran tonight – in front of friends and family – and see what happens. Varlamov is still there, if needed. He has shown he can perform in relief. But he has not shown – this year, anyway – that he’s so good you can just stick Theodore in the cooler like last spring.You best keep him in the series mentally by playing him tonight.
Bruce Boudreau hasn’t exactly been a friend to goalies during his tenure in the District. He’s unusually blunt and expects them to deal with it. “Just stop the puck” about sums up his philosophy. It was that way with Olie Kolzig and Brent Johnson, too. But it’s no coincidence that he went easy on Theodore after Saturday’s loss. I believe him when Boudreau says he needs both goalies in these playoffs. The tenor of his postgame comments tell me he’s not posturing. If Theodore falters – well, you’re only down 2-1 and can come right back with Varlamov. This team has won three Game 6 elimination games on the road in two years. It’s faced far worse.
