No matter who starts in goal for the Caps on Saturday night in Nashville – Semyon Varlamov or Michal Neuvirth – one thing is for sure: The two 22-year-olds are embarking on a season-long competition for ice time that likely won’t have a resolution any time soon Varlamov is just about ready to go after missing the first four games with a strained groin, but Neuvirth has played well in his absence and has an early head start.
Varlamov said Washington coach Bruce Boudreau did not inform him who was going to play. It’s possible he won’t make his season debut until Tuesday’s home game against Boston. Either way, both knew coming into the season that they’d be sharing ice time.
“I feel no pressure,” Varlamov said in Russian, as translated by Caps director of public relations Sergey Kocharov. “[Neuvirth is] playing well. It’s great for the team when he does well so I’m happy about that. I’ve just got to concentrate on my own game and try to do my best.”
Neuvirth and Varlamov have played just 58 NHL games between them. So far this season Neuvirth is 3-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Varlamov will get his chance, Boudreau said, and a bad game or two isn’t going to relegate either player to the bench – for now. Boudreau pointed to the 2007-08 season when the Caps traded for goalie Cristobal Huet and he and veteran Olie Kolzig split the first 14 games. But Huet caught fire in March and took the job for the rest of the season, including the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Philadelphia.
“If [Varlamov] doesn’t play well his first game he’ll play again,” Boudreau said. “This is not something that’s going to happen by the middle of November that you sit there and say “Who’s going to be the guy?’ It might be late March before we decide on this.”
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