10/9/11 Article from On Frozen Pond

Jose Theodore Pitches Shutout in Florida Panthers Debut

NEW YORK – Jose Theodore surrendered seven goals in the Panthers final exhibition game of the preseason in Dallas, eight days before Florida's season opener.

Any concern there?

“That's why they call it the preseason,'' defenseman Mike Weaver joked.

Actually, the Panthers were a little worried about how Theodore would open up Saturday against the host Islanders.

After the loss in Dallas, coach Kevin Dineen said that even though Theodore had a rough couple of outings, he was sure once the season started that the veteran netminder would come to play.

Indeed he did. Bolstered by an improved defense, Theodore kicked back 27 shots as the Panthers beat the Islanders 2-0. The shutout was No. 31 for Theodore.

“Things didn't go as planned during training camp,'' Dineen said, “but he's a professional. He has played in Montreal where everything is magnified to such a high level. He's patient.''

The Panthers have a new look to their defense with last year's opening night starters Bryan McCabe and Dennis Wideman replaced by Brian Campbell and Ed Jovanovski.

Florida's defense was smothering early on, with Theodore not having to do much work for long stretches. But there were times when the Islanders put pressure on Theodore. He came up strong.

Theodore now has six shutouts against the Islanders, more than any other team he's faced.

“I didn't know that. Maybe it's the building, it's a fun building for me to play in,'' Theodore said. “Everyone was pumped up for the first game of the season. I said I wanted to challenge the shots and the [defense] was great at clearing the rebounds. We worked well as a unit, me and the D. Playing the puck behind the net was good, they were letting me see the puck. We were all on the same page."