Saturday morning update game 2 NHL 09

  By Ryan O'Halloran, TWT, Oct. 11, 2008 "Saturday morning update":

The Capitals held an optional skate at Kettler this morning. Taking part were goalies Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson and six skaters, including Brooks Laich, Nick Schultz and Matt Bradley.

Coach Bruce Boudreau has decided on a starting goaltender but wouldn't reveal the decision.

"This is one of those rare things where I dont want Chicago to know," Boudreau said.

Both goalies saw action in Friday's 7-4 loss at Atlanta. If practice is any indication, I expect Theodore to get the call because Johnson was on the ice for a long time after Theodore went to the locker room.

"I would like to see consistency out of both of them," Boudreau said. "I think Brent played very good until the last five minutes of the game and I would like to see consistency from Jose. We need a save, we have to get it [from Theodore]. I didnt think those things were accomplished tonight."

Boudreau wouldn't buy opening night jitters as an excuse for Theodore's poor play.



"If it was Karl Alzner's first game, then yeah," he said. "But this is Jose's 12th year in the NHL and I would hope in this situation, you relish it, you dont get nervous about it even with a new team. I guess its human nature a little bit but it wouldnt have been something on my list."

Boudreau said the 18-skater lineup would likely remain the same.

"I might switch a few things up during the course of the game a little bit," he said. "We just have to tighten up [defensively]. I want to be known as a very good defensive team and that wasn't the right way to go about it."

Boudreau added: "One game is not a trend. If it happens again tonight, then well address it. But were hoping it was a one-game thing and well get back to playing the way were capable of playing."

Of course, Nick Schultz plays for Minnesota Wild, but Ryan is filling in for Corey, so I guess it's OK. Isn't it weird that Wild also has Backstrom?


capitals.nhl.com:

Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
Chicago Forwards
16-Ladd, 19-Toews, 24-Havlat
88-Kane, 10-Sharp, 33-Byfuglien
32-Versteeg, 36-Bolland, 11-Skille
37-Burish, 46-Fraser, 28-Adams

Chicago Defensemen
4-Hjalmarsson, 51-Campbell
2-Keith, 7-Seabrook
5-Sopel, 6-Hendry

Goaltenders
38-Huet, 39-Khabibulin

Washington Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 25-Kozlov
21-Laich, 91-Fedorov, 28-Semin
14-Fleischmann, 92-Nylander, 17-Clark
87-Brashear, 39-Steckel, 10-Bradley

Washington Defensemen
26-Morrisonn, 52-Green
3-Poti, 4-Erskine
23-Jurcina, 55-Schultz

Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 60-Theodore

By STU HACKEL, Slap Shot, NYT, Oct. 11, 2008:

Those who have watched Huet over a long period of time were dumbfounded at the size of his free agent contract this summer (over $5.5 million annually for four seasons) and now the Hawks have over $12 million annually tied up in goaltending salaries, with Nikolai Khabibulin getting $6.75 million this season. The Hawks management has seemed confused about how to handle this, first saying they’d keep both, then putting Khabi on waivers and telling him not to train with the team and then bringing him back as Huet’s partner when they couldn’t move him.

They go in to Washington tonight to face the Caps, where Huet finished last season and chose not to return, and coming off of Huet’s somewhat lackluster performance against the Rangers, Coach Denis Savard might be tempted to go with Khabibulin. But he hasn’t even played in a preseason game yet. So Savard may be reluctant to choose Khabi and risk a rusty goalie in a game that could mean an 0-2 start for Chicago.

Update: Three stars of the game:
Alexander Ovechkin
Goals: 2
Assists: 0

Brooks Laich
Goals: 1
Assists: 0

Dave Steckel
Goals: 0
Assists: 1

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