Jose Theodore Has Returned To Full Form With The Florida Panthers

Saturday night, the Florida Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in what was a very entertaining hockey game.  But the Florida Panthers could not have won without the help of goaltender Jose Theodore who put up a total of 39 saves in the Panthers win.  This is not the first time this season Theodore has made a big impact for the Panthers.  In fact he has been making quite an impact all season long.

Jose Theodore has been a big part of Florida’s early success, posting a 7-4-2 record with 1 shutout in 14 starts.  In those 7 wins there are a few notable starts worth pointing out.  October 8th, the Panthers beat the New York Islanders 2-0 in the season opener in New York.  In that game Theodore came up big posting a shutout and stopping a total of 27 shots in the Florida’s first win of the season.  November 8th, the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 in Toronto.  Even though Jose Theodore didn’t get the shutout, he made 38 saves on 39 shots in a big win for the Panthers.  Yesterday vs the Pittsburgh Penguins, Theodore came up huge once again in net for Florida, stopping 39 of 41 shots in the Panthers 3-2 win over the Penguins.

Jose Theodore has come a long way over the past 3 seasons, playing for 3 different NHL teams, The Washington Capitals, the Minnesota Wild, and now the Florida Panthers.  Theodore started in 47 games in the 2009-2010 season, posting a 30-7-7 record, in route to the Washington Capitals winning the Presidents Trophy, but being upset in round one of the NHL playoffs 4-3 by the Montreal Canadiens.  After being eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals would allow Theodore to become a free agent and the veteran goaltender would go on to sign a 1-year deal with the Minnesota Wild.  This time around Theodore would not be in the starter role, backing up Nicklas Backstrom in Minnesota.  In that role he would post a 15-11-3 record with the Minnesota Wild  during the 2010-2011 season appearing in 32 games.  Even though the Minnesota Wild did not make the playoffs, Jose Theodore was in net during the final game of the regular season when the Minnesota Wild spoiled the Dallas Stars chances of making the postseason.  Now Theodore is with the Florida Panthers after signing a 2-year contract on July 1st.  Back in a starting role for the Panthers who could not come to terms with Tomas Vokoun, Theo looks to keep up his great start to the season while guiding the Panthers to the post season for the first time in a decade.

Thanks for reading.

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