Gameday, Panthers vs. Capitals, L (1-2)

I can't believe Dineen has already announced the starter. That hardly ever happens.

José stood on his head this game, and the Panthers couldn't win it. They only scored one. You can't expect your goalie to do it all. The Capitals scored 2 in the 3rd period. One a PP goal, the other was a deflection. So frustrating for José fans, because eh deserved so much better.

He was named the 2nd star (he saved 39 of 41 shots), but I know he would've preferred a win. The Panthers have a 2 point lead on the Caps in the SE.

Here are some of the tweets about José's play tonight.

Gameday, Panthers vs. Senators, (L, 2-6) Clemmensen started, José came in during 2nd

Clemmensen is the starter against the Senators. I like to think it's because they are giving José's knee more time to rest. It's best to have your #1 goalie as healthy as possible for the playoff push.

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Goalie change with 5:54 left in the 2nd after the Senators scored their 4th goal on their 16th shot. José saved the 3 shots he faced the remainder of the period.

The feed I'm having to watch tonight is terrible.

Final from Sunrise, 6-2, Ottawa wins. José saved 13 of 15 shots faced.

Panthers are still 4 points ahead of Washington in the standings, and Washington is coming to town on Friday. I foresee José being the starter.

Video from Panthers Live

Big thanks again to Nelly.

When asked about comparing himself to other goalies.

When asked who he feels is the best shooter he faces in the shootout.
Right before the video started, the fan called him "Hosay", so he said "I'm José, not Hosay. I'm from Montreal not Mexico." That's exactly when this video started, and everyone laughed, but you can hear him saying "It's ok, it happens all the time" so he didn't want to make the person feel bad.

Playing in Montreal vs. Florida

What does he do before games?

When asked if he's fought other goalies.
Some of us have heard the adorable "I'm a lover not a fighter" line before. ;o)

José Theodore at Panthers Live, 2/13/12

Thanks to fellow José fan, Nelly, for sharing her photos from the Panthers Live event tonight. It was a Q and A with José, Brian Campbell, and Mike Weaver.

Here are some photos, and I'll post videos a bit later. Good stuff!

And also thanks to Yuri for tweeting me some photos as the event was occurring.

And from the Panthers twitter account.

Post-Game Interview, Articles, and Blogs, 2/12/12

Click to watch video of interview with José after his win over the Islanders on 2/12/12.

From On Frozen Pond:

“We struggled a little bit but now it's crunch time and it's never too late to start doing the right things,'' said Jose Theodore, who was back in net for the Panthers after missing 13 of the past 15 games with a sore knee. “Winning back-to-back games on the road is always huge.''

Theodore showed a little rust as Florida continued its trend of giving up early goals. Frans Nielsen scored on New York's first shot 3:35 into the game as the Panthers surrendered the opening goal within the first four minutes of a game in four straight road games.

Yet as was the case on Saturday, the 1-0 deficit didn't deflate the Panthers as they came back to win.

“It's good to be back out there,'' Theodore said. “I only had a couple of practices, so I was a little rusty. You like to get a couple of easy shots to get the feel of the puck, but their first four were quality chances. I didn't start the way I wanted to, but I didn't panic and the team played a heck of a game in front of me.''

From ESPN:
"I was just looking forward to getting this game in and I was feeling better as the game went on," Theodore said. "I'll have to work hard in practice to get my game to where it was a couple of months ago."

From The Sun Sentinel:

“That was two solid games. It’s satisfying,’’ Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “I don’t think it was an easy night for Jose. A lot of pucks were jumping and hopping. He had to be sharp. Our young defensemen played good in front of him and obviously, we got some production from different places. We’ve talked about that a lot, a little bit of diversity and not betting on the same horses all the time.’’

Theodore, who hasn’t played since Jan. 20 when he reinjured his knee that has forced him to miss 13 of 15 games, recovered from a shaky start in which he gave up a goal on New York’s first shot to record 26 saves.

“It’s good to be back helping the team,’’ said Theodore, who improved to 18-9-2 against the Isles. The only other team he has more victories against are the Penguins with 20. “I was a little rusty. When you miss a couple of games I always like to have a couple of shots to feel the puck. [Today] the first four shots were quality chances. It didn’t start the way I wanted to but with my experience I didn’t panic and the team played great in front of me.”

Gameday, Panthers @ Islanders, W (4-1)

José is the starter today on Long Island.

Sorry I'm late updating. I'm not quite back into the swing of him playing. It seems like it's been forever.

The Panthers won 4-1. They had a very solid game all around, except for the first 3 minutes or so when their one goal against was scored. They just have a real problem with those first few minutes, especially on the road. But they bounced back nicely.

José faced 27 shots and obviously saved 26. I was really hoping the Panthers would limit his shots faced to less than 30, and they did, so I appreciate that. With it being his first game back, I really wanted it to be a quiet game for him and his knee. Hopefully his knee weathered the storm well. There were at least 3 times I saw Dmen in front of him diving to block shots with their bodies, so they were really trying to take care of him. "Theo's mom" here sent them a batch of virtual brownies as a thank-you.

They next play at home on Wednesday against Ottawa. The Capitals lost today, so the Panthers' lead is 4 points in the Southeast Division.

Quote from José about his knee

From On Frozen Pond

“The knee is really good so now it's just about getting back out there,'' Theodore said. “I needed the rest because it didn't feel good. I have a couple practices under my belt so I'm ready. It was tough sitting out and watching. It's good to be back with the team.''