Panthers coach Kevin Dineen hates revealing who his starting goaltender will be, even up to 30 minutes before the opening faceoff.
But it's highly unlikely he will even be asked down the stretch, especially if Jose Theodore continues to play like he did back in the 2001-02 season, when he won the Vezina Trophy and Hart (MVP) Trophy with the Montreal Canadiens.
Two days after a sensational effort in a 2-1 shootout losing cause against the surging Pittsburgh Penguins, Theodore topped it in a 2-0 victory over the pesky Carolina Hurricanes.
"I thought Jose was excellent for us. He makes the decision very easy for me to keep going with him after the effort that he's put in the last couple of games," Dineen said.
"You get blown out (5-0) in Philadelphia and the bounce-back that he showed in Pittsburgh and then come back again tonight, our goaltending has been very solid."
Theodore, who had 33 saves against Pittsburgh, recorded 34 saves for his third shutout of the season, his fifth against Carolina, and 33rd of his career.
"When you look at the scoreboard and you're up by one goal, every save is big," said Theodore, who notched his first shutout at home as a member of the Panthers.
"I was just seeing the puck well. The guys were playing well in front of me. At this time of year, it's all about competing and playing playoff hockey, and that's what we did tonight."
The Panthers maintained a one-point lead over the Washington Capitals, while opening up a five-point cushion over the idle Winnipeg Jets. Florida next faces the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
It's the latest point of any season that the Panthers have been in first place in their division. They were in first on March 10, 2000 before fading to second and reaching the playoffs.
All they needed was Tomas Fleischmann's second-period goal to end their two-game winless streak. It was his 22nd goal and 49th point, which ties sidelined teammate Kris Versteeg for the team lead in both categories.
Marcel Goc added an empty-netter with 1:32 remaining to help prevent Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward from notching his 200th career victory.
