Will Capitals Goalie Jose Theodore Bounce Back?

The New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals in Game 1 on April 15. In the best of seven series, the teams play Game 2 on April 18 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

The Capitals struggled in goaltending in the first game on home ice with Jose Theodore allowing four goals, including back-to-back goals in 99 seconds.

Bruce Boudreau, head coach, may be pondering whether to replace veteran Theodore with rookie Semyon Varlamov but it’s unlikely fans will see the 20-year-old Russian in net tomorrow night for Game 2.

While Theodore took blame for the Capital’s lackluster performance in Game 1—was it all his fault though?—and notwithstanding Varlamov’s world championship experience, Boudreau is apt to give Theodore a second chance.

In the regular season, Washington won the series against New York 3-0-1 and outscored the Blueshirts 14-10. The first round will prove to be as tightly contested. Will Theodore bounce back with some stellar netminding?

And while Theodore’s physical performance has been under review, another question to raise is whether he is mentally tough to guard the net. How bad will the Rangers disrupt Theodore’s mental game?

All things considered, Theodore allegedly played well enough in the past to move his former teams through to the second round so time will tell when exactly Boudreau will need to put a new face in goal.