Former Capitals’ goalie may start tonight for Tampa Bay
He was the face of the franchise for a decade. But when goalie Olaf Kolzig returns to Verizon Center tonight it will not be in the Capitals’ familiar red-white-and-blue uniforms.
A free-agent signee with the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-4) last summer, Kolzig is expected to start in goal tonight when his team faces the Caps (7-4-2) at 7 p.m. It will be his first game against the organization he played with for 16 seasons and the Caps plan a video tribute to Kolzig in the first period.
The 38-year-old holds team records for wins (301), save percentage (.906) and shutouts (35). He was drafted in the first round by the Caps in 1989 and led the team to the 1998 Stanley Cup finals.
“I like Olie, I think we all like Olie and the people of Washington love Olie and rightfully so,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “But when the puck drops, I hope we score more than they score against us. It will be nice if he is starting that he gets the round of applause — I think he deserves and the recognition he deserves. But it is like anything else — once the puck drops, it is our team vs. their team.”
Kolzig and the Caps had a falling out last year after the team acquired Cristobal Huet from Montreal at the trade deadline. The two goalies split the first 14 games after the trade. But Huet finally grabbed the starting job, winning his last nine starts, and led the Caps to their first playoff berth in five years. After a 5-0 loss to Chicago on March 19, Kolzig did not play the rest of the season.
Unhappy with what he felt was a lack of communication from the organization and convinced he could still play at a high level, Kolzig signed with Tampa Bay. He has started just three games this season as Mike Smith, 26, has become the No. 1 goalie for the Lightning. But in his three starts, Kolzig is 1-1-1 with a .925 save percentage.
He is one of five former Caps playing for Tampa Bay, including defenseman Steve Eminger and forward Matt Pettinger. Former Caps captain Jeff Halpern, a Potomac, Md. native, is still recovering from a torn ACL and defenseman Jamie Heward has played three games for the Lightning this season, but is currently at AHL Norfolk. Eminger was just traded to Tampa Bay from the Philadelphia Flyers last Friday. Pettinger was claimed on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 21.
“It’s a little bit of a Caps reunion in Tampa right now,” said Caps forward Eric Fehr. “It’ll be good to see Olie again. He’s been a big part of this organization. But it’s going to be a little bit different seeing him on the other side of things. It’ll be interesting playing against those guys. But once the puck drops it’s all hockey.”
The Lightning are coming off a 2-1 win at Philadelphia on Saturday. Center Vincent Lecavalier leads Tampa Bay in goals (6) and points (11). Center Vaclav Prospal and right wing Martin St. Louis both have 10 points. The power play is struggling for both teams. Washington is at 15.5 percent, 20th in the NHL. The Lightning convert 14.5 percent of their power plays, 25th overall. The Caps have killed 38 of their last 46 penalties.
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» Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn (groin) and Sergei Fedorov (lower-body injury) again did not participate in Sunday’s optional practice. Morrisonn skated on his own before his teammates took the ice. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said both players were still day-to-day. Both are questionable for Monday night’s game against Tampa Bay, but more likely for Wednesday. » Forward Chris Clark (wrist) was deemed “possible” for the Lightning game, according to Boudreau. » Other Caps who skipped the optional practice on Sunday — defenseman Mike Green, forwards Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich, and goalie Brent Johnson. » Boudreau said “there’s probably a good chance” that Johnson will make his fourth consecutive start on Monday. |
Lightning at Capitals When » Monday at 7 p.m. Where » Verizon Center TV » Versus Radio » 1500 AM |
