caps fall to stars, varlamov slumping

(photo by Mitchell Layton)

The big news coming out of last night was not that the Washington Capitals lost 4-3 to the Dallas Stars. The 13-game winning streak was awesome while it lasted, but these things happen.

No, the take away from the game is that goalie Semyon Varlamov officially stepped out of the running to be the team’s starting goalie come playoff time.

He might not have made an official statement, but none was needed. His play of late speaks volumes.

The Capitals went into the third period at home with a 2-0 lead. We don’t have the stats in front of us, but we feel confident in saying that Washington is roughly 87-0-1* during the Bruce Boudreau Era when heading into the third period with the lead at the Verizon Center.

Well, in a six-minute span, Varlamov and the Capitals allowed three goals and eventually fell to Dallas in a game they absolutely had no business losing. What’s worse is that, for the third-straight game, Varlamov gave up multiple “softies.”

So basically, here’s what you saw last night:

On one side of the rink, you’ve got Stars goalie Marty Turco, who was magnificent while stopping 49 of the 52 shots he faced. Seriously, we cannot overstate just how much Turco enabled Dallas to steal a win last night. Without his stellar play, the Stars lose in a blowout.

And then there’s Varlamov letting yet another puck dribble through the five hole for a backbreaking goal. In his last three outings, Varlamov has allowed 13 goals while posting a 4.24 goals against average and a .843 save percentage. That’s not cutting it.

We’re back to many of the problem areas that popped up last year in the playoffs against Pittsburgh. One soft goal gets past him, racks his confidence and suddenly Varlamov is giving up goals in bunches.

If you’re an opposing player the scouting report has to be if you score once, just start throwing junk on net because you’re going to beat Varlamov for one or two more goals before he regains his composure.

At this point, we should probably point out that Caps goalie Jose Theodore has gone 12-0-2 in his last 14 games while posting a 2.38 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. In his last two games, Theodore has stopped 53 of 54 shots. Simply put, he’s everything that Varlamov is not.

Much like Turco last night, Theodore was the deciding factor over the weekend in a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers. Not only is he playing some of the best hockey of his D.C. tenure, but he’s outshining the youngsters – Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth – who were supposed to be a lock to supplant him this year.

Theodore is a free agent after this season. He’s a veteran goaltender who is mature enough to shake off a weak goal against and immediately put it past him. He’s always been a streaky goalie prone to up-and-down play, but when he’s on his game, Theodore is tough to beat.

In the last two months, Theodore has clearly established himself as the number-one goalie. And honestly, the Caps should strongly consider sending Varlamov down to Hershey for a few games to get his head back on straight.

With 16 games left to play, the Capitals need to be preparing for the postseason. Boudreau and friends need to take a good, hard look at the players available and decide who they will count on in their quest for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

You’re seeing a guy like rookie defenseman John Carlson seize the opportunity he’s been given, and therefore the 20-year-old is enjoying playing time while more established players ride the bench. But it works the other way too.

If a guy like Varlamov or Brendan Morrison finds himself in an extended slump, the organization has the depth to sit him down and turn to someone else. Everyone has an off-night, but if it turns into a pattern, there are plenty of other options available.

Varlamov is still a quality goalie and we still have every reason to envision a day in which he is without question the number-one guy here in Washington. But right now, he’s lost his mojo. His confidence is so low that if he gives up one goal his head starts swimming and it’s only a matter of time before he’s fishing another puck out of the back of the net.

He’s no longer letting the game come to him. He’s forcing things. He’s over-thinking everything. Varlamov just needs some time away from the spotlight to pull it all back together.

Everyone knows the one area that can derail this talented Capitals squad come playoff time is shoddy goaltending. As surprising as it might be to hear, considering how folks thought the situation would play out this season, Theodore is head and shoulders above anyone else in the rotation.

The time is now to put Theodore in net and cross your fingers that he can ride this hot streak a while longer. Call up Neuvirth and let him be the primary backup. Varlamov will bounce back from this. The Caps just aren’t in a position right now to wait for him.

(* – in case you couldn’t tell, this number is completely made up.)

8 comments

  1. Milhouse44
    March 9, 2010 at 10:31 am

    “Softies” Happen!

  2. ExKiwi Krol
    March 9, 2010 at 11:01 am

    “Softies” Happen…

    This coming from a goalie who is softer than Velveeta in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.

    Either way let us hope Theodore has learned how to keep it “ON” and ride it until he can be sipping margaritas, (or whatever French Canadians drink, maybe the gravy from their poutine) on the beach in July using the giant silver cup on top.

    I hope Boudreau is working on how to get them to play their best at the snap of a finger, because the Caps do lose focus a little too much for the liking.

  3. DC Landing Strip
    March 9, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    This whole situation makes me nervous. Varlamov is the best goalie in our system, period. Theo “hot” still does not inspire confidence. He could become a sieve at any moment; if Varly is still cold can we really just put him in when that Theo-breakdown moment inevitably comes? What if it’s late in a playoff series?

    If these last games are about preparing our best lineup for the playoffs, I say you keep playing Varly until he is back to form. When Varly is at his best, few goalies in the league are as good.

  4. IRockTheRed
    March 10, 2010 at 8:34 am

    @DC Landing Strip

    Varlamov is the best goalie in our system, period.

    I actually disagree with this. Varlamov is the most athletic goalie in our system, yes. But he is not the best. Michal Neuvirth took the Bears all the way to the Calder Cup last season, and has had a good showing in DC this season, and Braden Holtby, despite not yet seeing ice time in DC, is also quite good. In a year or so, Holtby might be on his way to Washington. We have three excellent goaltending prospects, and if you ask me, Varlamov has two guys champing at the bit to take his job from him… and they just might do it, if he doesn’t get back to pre-injury form really quick.

    It took him several games at the beginning of the season to warm up, too, and sitting on his duff in Edmonton did NOT help him, despite all the good conversations he supposedly had with Tretiak. Trediak. However you transliterate it. Третья́к.

  5. John
    March 10, 2010 at 9:39 am

    How short is your memory?

    It took Varly a while to get his legs under him at the beginning of the season, and sure enough in November and early December he was playing consistently at a high level. Meanwhile, everyone was ripping Theo apart in the media and blogs.

    Theo’s success is exactly what you called it ‘streaky.’ I doubt it will hold up for the rest of this season, let alone in the months-long playoffs.

  6. BaltimoreBerserk
    March 10, 2010 at 10:35 am

    “”I say you keep playing Varly until he is back to form.””

    That is why you are not a GM or coach in the NHL… Just sayin’…

  7. tom
    March 10, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    boudreau isn’t worried, why are you? varly’s going the starting goalie in the playoffs

  8. DC Landing Strip
    March 11, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    “That is why you are not a GM or coach in the NHL… Just sayin’…”

    Why is it a bad idea to keep playing Varly until he is back to form? What exactly do the Caps have to lose at this point in the regular season?

Leave a Reply

HomerMcFanboy background image