Theodore eyes career revival in Florida

The Florida Panthers made plenty of noise this summer simply by making a change in goal.

After longtime Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun signed for $1.5 million in Washington, the Panthers brought in Jose Theodore, who spent last season backing up Niklas Backstrom in Minnesota.

With Florida's rebuilding in full swing, it was difficult to tell how the new hodgepodge team would work together, but the Panthers opened at 3-3-0 before a shutout loss to the Sabres on Thursday night. The decent start can mostly be credited to the heroics of Theodore, who has stood tall with a .920 save percentage, 2.58 goals-against average and one shutout through his first five games.

It hasn't been an easy road for Theodore. During two seasons in Washington (2008-09 and 2009-10) he was pushed aside in the playoffs in favor of Semyon Varlamov, a situation he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel was "a stinger." Theodore was officially relegated to backup status in 2010-2011 with the Wild, playing 32 games with a record of 15-11-3.

The veteran is turning over a new leaf in Florida, having signed a two-year deal on July 1.

"You look at where the team's going, especially I'm not 20 anymore, I want some changes now," Theodore told the Miami Herald in July. "I think this was the best fit."

He has been designated the starter after Scott Clemmensen underwent minor knee surgery near the end of training camp. Now he is ready to remain in the starting role.

He made that impact early, making 27 saves against the New York Islanders for a 2-0 shutout in the Panthers' season opener. It was Theodore's 31st career shutout and seventh since being traded from the Canadiens in 2005-06.

"(Theodore is) a competitor,'' center Stephen Weiss told the Sun-Sentinel after the game. "We knew he was going to be there for us."

A No. 1 again, Theodore isn't resting on his laurels. He knows that once Clemmensen returns the fight for the starting goaltender position continues. After allowing 12 goals in two exhibition games in a lackluster training camp and preseason, Theodore is working hard to show that he should remain the go-to guy in net.

"Let's not forget, Jose Theodore is a good player," Panthers coach Kevin Dineen told reporters after Saturday's shootout win over Tampa Bay. "He's proven that over the length of a career. We felt that he was a No. 1 goalie, but for me he really had to earn it. He had a pretty stinky training camp, but since then he's been pretty solid."

The team has been working well together so far, particularly with Theodore providing the support in net. In Theodore's eyes, the future looks bright for the Panthers.

"I think we're working well together right now," Theodore told reporters Saturday. "We've been working hard in practices and we're starting to figure out what we got to do to win some games."

Souteast Division Notes

After a stellar preseason, Jets C Mark Scheifele scored his first NHL regular-season goal Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Scheifele has four more games before the club must decide whether to keep him in the NHL or return him to juniors. ... Jets C Alexander Burmistrov, in his second year in the NHL, has shown a vast improvement from last season. The 19-year-old is turning the heads of his linemates, including C Nik Antropov. "Definitely he's improved from last year," Antropov told the Winnipeg Free Press. "I can see that in reading the game and the patience he has shown on the ice, especially in the last couple of games." ... Florida G Jacob Markstrom made his first NHL start and faced 32 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. Despite the score, Dineen blamed the defense for the loss. "(Markstrom) had a good solid game for us and gave us a chance to win,'' Dineen told reporters. "He can play in this league and it showed early on when he had that pressure on him. I'm proud of him under tough circumstances." ... The Washington Capitals are 6-0, their strongest start in franchise history. However, coach Bruce Boudreau knows that's no reason to get too excited. "When it comes to April and May I'm not going to be able to sit here and say: 'Hey, we were 5-0 and we got that record. Isn't that great?' " Boudreau told reporters. "It's not really going to hold a lot of weight. It's just the process of getting to where we want to get." Boudreau's lack of enthusiasm occurred a game before the Capitals pasted the Flyers 5-2 in Philadelphia, a game that was highlighted by Alex Ovechkin's first multi-goal performance of the year. ... The Carolina Hurricanes sent D Justin Faulk to AHL Charlotte on Wednesday. Faulk saw action in three regular-season games after an impressive preseason. ... Six games into the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a 1-3-2 record. GM Steve Yzerman says the team has to be better. But he's not panicking quite yet. "The urgency in the guys' play is there," Yzerman told reporters. "I like the effort of our team in every game. All teams go through stretches in a season where they struggle. Ours is just right off the bat." ... Following Yzerman's comments, Tampa Bay outshot the Islanders, 30-17, in a 4-1 victory that avenged last week's 5-1 loss on Long Island. It also ended a five-game losing streak (0-3-2) that saw the Lightning allow 25 goals.