Theodore to Start Tonight Against Chicago

Just a quick note from Everything Hockey's resident Avs Blogger, coming straight from his laptop during class!
So it appears Coach Q is going with the hot hand... well as hot as a hand as you can get with our inconsistent duo. Jose Theodore (with some help for our forwards) was able to save the game despite Peter Budaj allowing the first 4 goals of our last game against Calgary, and he will be starting against Chicago tonight.
Coach Q hasn't made a firm commitment to start either goalie at this point, so a strong game from Theo tonight could result in more starts in his future.

It's Always Miller Time in Buffalo

Ryan Miller has become a household name these past two seasons, mainly due to the success of the Sabres. Miller is already a great goalie, and will continue to get better, but he was not the main reason for Buffalo's success. Their potent offense and rock solid defense has definitely helped him earn this success. His stats slipped a little in his second season, but that doesn't have Sabres fans worried, and they shouldn't be, because Miller will only get better from here on, and they were able to keep their main defense core together, which helps. Although he is quite thin, Miller still barely weighs 170 lbs soaking wet, he has shown the NHL, and the fans in Buffalo, that his quickness and agility more than make up for it. The Sabres improved their backup position by letting Ty Conklin go, and by signing Jocelyn Thibault, who is nearing the end of his career. He has "bionic hips" and nobody is sure how long they will last, but until they do give out, expect him to be a solid option as backup to Miller.

Adam Dennis got his first taste of professional hockey after coming from the London Knights of the OHL, and lets just say it was a shaky, yet eye-opening experience for him. His lackluster GAA of 3.34 in Rochester of the AHL will probably mean that he stays in Rochester for at least one or two more years. He has potential and is still fairly young, and I expect him at sometime in his career to make the NHL. It's all up to him how fast he gets there. The Sabres also have a young Swedish prospect by the name of Jhonas Enroth, who played for Sodertalje of the Swedish Elite League last season. He is a fine young prospect, and should be a solid puckstopper in the future, but he is still very raw, and won't be in North America for some time.

Fernandez Era Begins in Beantown

The Boston Bruins have one of the more unique goaltending situations in the league. The Bruins traded for Manny Fernandez from Minnesota, who decided to go with Nicklas Backstrom full time, in exchange for prospect Petr Kalus and a Fourth-Round draft pick. He should be the team's starter come opening day, although his wonky knee is a bit of a concern. You can't argue with his numbers, although some people say that playing for the defensive-minded Wild may have skewed them. He has a career GAA of 2.47 and a .913 Save %. I believe that he will strive in Boston, and he will provide the Bruins with solid netminding for the next couple of years. The backup this year will be the wild Tim Thomas. He burst onto the scene in 05-06 and earned a starting job in 06-07, but it was quickly proven that he could not handle the load of an entire NHL season. He is still a very good option for Boston as a backup, and in case of another injury to Fernandez, they can feel comfortable with him back there.


Jordan Sigalet is a name Bruins fans have probably seen in their system for the past few years. He has played for Providence the last 2 seasons, and even got a brief call up to the show in 05-06. At 26-years-old he doesn't have much left in terms of potential, and he will probably be a mainstay in Providence for the rest of his career. They have an American goalie by the name of Mike Brown who played mainly in the ECHL last season, but has been called up to Providence on a few occasions. He is still young and may be a welcome surprise for the Bruins farm system.

The big name that everyone keeps hearing about is young Tuukka Rask. He was traded to Boston from Toronto in the now-infamous Raycroft deal. He keeps putting up great numbers for Ilves Tampere in the SM-Liiga, and he will be making his way to Boston very shortly. He is now 20-years-old and has completed his mandatory army duty for Finland (to the best of my knowledge) and he will surely be playing for Boston by 08-09. He has everything you would want in a goalie. Quick, agile, and strong, with great vision. He will need to add some muscle once he comes over to North America, he is a slim 165 right now, but that should be accomplished easily. Tuukka Rask will be a star very soon in Boston, and Fernandez should be able to hold the fort until he arrives.