Flameout clouds Theodore's future

Whether goalie stays in Colorado 'not in my control'

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published May 1, 2008 at 11:22 p.m.
Updated May 2, 2008 at 12:13 a.m.

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Photo by Darin McGregor / The Rocky

Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore watches the puck cross the goal line in the first period to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead on a shot by Mikael Samuelsson, who also scored in the third period Thursday.

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Hard to believe it was less than two weeks ago Jose Theodore could convince himself, with a certain level of confidence, he was squarely playing his way into the Avalanche's future plans.

After a monumental four-game flameout against the Red Wings, Theodore's future with the franchise is every bit as unclear as the overall status of the Avalanche's goaltender situation.

Theodore played the role of hero in the Avalanche's six-game victory against the Minnesota Wild in the first round, essentially stealing a critical Game 5 win that changed the complexion of the series.

Theodore entered the second- round series against Detroit riding more momentum than he had experienced since the 2002 Hart Trophy winner joined the Avalanche in March 2006, but that momentum was short-lived.

Theodore didn't finish three of his four starts against the Red Wings and was pulled after the first period of Thursday's 8-2 loss after allowing three goals on 15 shots, including a soft opening score by Detroit.

Thursday's performance could have been the last in an Avalanche sweater for Theodore, an unrestricted free agent.

"It's really not in my control," Theodore said. "I'm a hockey player. I played hard all season. I gave everything I had and I feel like half the season was pretty much the benchmark from what I expect of myself. I just got to train really hard and see what is going to happen

"It's not up to me. People can have their own opinion. Whoever followed the team saw what I'm capable of. Since Christmas on, when I was playing a lot, I felt I brought my best hockey."

Thursday's game capped a forgettable series for Theodore. The 31-year-old fell ill before the opener in Detroit and played like it, getting pulled from each contest after allowing four goals in each start on a total of 36 shots.

Theodore was pulled again in Game 4 in favor of Peter Budaj, who was unable to provide a spark, surrendering four goals on 20 shots during the second period.

Theodore compiled a saves percentage of .826 and a goals- against average of 6.92 in the series against Detroit.

"It started off on the wrong foot, being sick the first couple of games," Theodore said. "I'm never going to use injuries as excuses, but we did lose some key players and I started off with the flu. It seemed after, we just couldn't get the rhythm back."

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