Theodore Likely to Start vs. Sens

The last time we saw Jose Theodore in net for Washington, he allowed five goals to the NHL's worst club and was on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision to the Hurricanes. Of course, this was also after he grumbled to reporters about his lack of playing time thanks to Michal Neuvirth's strong play in net.

Well, the rarely-seen Theodore will get another chance to play tonight apparently, as he is likely to get the start against Ottawa before the team departs on a three-game road trip.

To say the netminder has regressed from a strong start is an understatement. In October, he posted a 2.66 goals-against and a solid .915 save percentage. However, since, he's recorded a 3.33 GAA with an .882 save percentage, going only 6-4-1 despite being on one of the top clubs in the Eastern Conference.

Although Simeyon Varlamov has been hurt, Theodore has only appeared in one game since Christmas, with his last win coming back on Dec. 15 in Denver. Although originally expected to only play sparingly in Varlamov's absence, Neuvirth has taken over the role and relegating the former Hart Trophy winner to mop-up duty.

Now, with the trade deadline two months away, it seems more and more likely barring a long-term injury to either Neuvirth or Varlamov, that the Capitals will seek to trade the netminder to a team in need of goaltending - despite Theodore's stats, his flashes of brilliance will cause teams to consider giving up draft picks for him - especially with his $4.5 million contract set to expire at the end of the season.

The Caps face an Ottawa team making their first visit to Washington this year, with the team's only meeting coming back in November with the Sens grabbing a 4-3 win in overtime on a nifty Mike Fisher tally. In that game, Washington surrendered a 3-1 lead in the third period before settling for the single point in the extra session.

Ottawa is coming off a five-game homestand in which it went 3-2-0, although ending with a 4-1 loss to the Bruins Tuesday night. The Sens have just one win in their last four road contests, a 3-2 shootout win over Buffalo on the day after Christmas.

For a team expected to be in rebuilding mode - especially having to deal Dany Heatley under duress - the Sens have been able to stay in the playoff hunt, as they currently stand sixth in the Eastern Conference race, four points ahead of the ninth-place Islanders heading into tonight's game.

The Capitals snapped their three-game losing streak Tuesday with a 4-2 win over Montreal, and stand in third place in the East, 14 points better in the Southeast Division but two points behind second-place Buffalo, who won Wednesday night to move a pair ahead of the Caps.

For Theodore, with Neuvirth getting the bulk of the work in Varlamov's absence, it certainly will be an important start as the veteran really may be squeezed out of the picture once the Russian netminder returns from injury.