Goalies still battling for job between pipes
It hasn’t really been a roller-coaster ride. That would imply an up-and-down season with no consistency at all. No, the Capitals’ two young goalies — Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth — have performed well enough this season to give the organization confidence in their abilities, both mental and physical, going forward. But in the race for the No. 1 job there is no clear winner yet. And that could be an issue as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach.
Neuvirth secured his second shutout in two weeks during a 1-0 win at Pittsburgh on Monday. That came one day after Varlamov held Buffalo to a single goal on the road.
“I hope that puts to rest that we’re going after a goalie [at the NHL trade deadline],” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said after the Penguins game.
Indeed, general manager George McPhee said as much last week in an interview with the Washington Post. The organization apparently doesn’t think it needs a veteran goalie like Florida’s Tomas Vokoun. They are expensive, would require shedding assets like young prospects and draft picks and there is no guarantee a rental would be better than Neuvirth and Varlamov anyway.
| Caps notes |
| » Washington signed F Matt Hendricks to a two-year contract extension worth $1.6 million on Wednesday. |
| » The versatile Hendricks has played both wing positions this season and had stints on the second, third and fourth lines. He has seven goals and 12 assists for a career-best 19 points. |
| » No update on Caps center Nicklas Backstrom, who reportedly suffered a fractured thumb during Monday’s win at Pittsburgh. The team still lists him as day-to-day. |
Neuvirth has an 18-9-4 record with a 2.45 goals-against average. He has tied the franchise record for most wins by a rookie in one season and was named NHL rookie of the month in October. Neuvirth’s save percentage (.914) ranks 20th among all qualifying goalies and his goals-against is 13th. But in between his shutouts of the Penguins were so-so efforts against Phoenix and — in a relief role — Anaheim. Neuvirth also allowed three goals at San Jose and in a previous meeting with the Sharks played beautifully for 51 minutes and then gave up a pair of shaky goals late in the third period of a 2-0 loss.
For his part, Varlamov has better numbers. He is 10-8-4 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average. That ranks him sixth and eighth respectively in those categories. He also started in the Winter Classic. But a checkered injury history still lingers. Varlamov played just two games before Nov.?24 and had another brief stint out of the lineup for three games in late January — though he wasn’t placed on injured reserve that time.
So Washington says it is sticking with its 22-year-old goalies as the fight for playoff seeding begins in earnest. With just 21 games left in the regular season, Neuvirth and Varlamov’s internal battle is only beginning.
