Goaltending Under Fire

In the four games since the Olympic break ended -- two started by Jose Theodore and two by Semyon Varlamov -- a set of dual realities has been created. In the games manned by Theo, the Caps have won 3-1 at Buffalo and 2-0 over the New York Rangers. When Varly has been between the pipes, the Caps have beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-4, and lost to the Dallas Stars (in a shootout last night), 4-3.

Notice any patterns? You're not the only ones.

Varlamov has struggled since coming back from injury and, although he was better against the Stars, still looks like he's fighting the puck a bit and certainly hasn't regained the form that helped lead the Caps to the second round of last year's playoffs.

"The first two periods he was good," Boudreau said of Varly's play last night. "He was stopping the puck and he was smooth. The rebounds were not under control like he can do it."

Theo, meanwhile, has been lights out all the way back to mid-January, when the Caps embarked on a 14-game winning streak. As has been well publicized, he's in the final year of a two-year deal and surely his contract status has entered his mind. What happens after this year is a discussion for another day but, for the moment, Theo has made it abundantly clear that he should be the team's top goalie when the playoffs begin next month.