Coach Ron Wilson has resolved the great goalie competition between Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose:
Both will play.
Toskala gets the call tonight when the Sharks open a season of great expectations against visiting St. Louis. Nabokov will start Saturday's Game 2 when the New York Islanders roll into San Jose.
After that? It's anyone's guess.
"We have two great goalies, so why shouldn't they both play?" Wilson asked rhetorically. "Minnesota has been doing this for years and their goalies have done really well. Carolina did it last year in the playoffs for God's sakes and they won the Stanley Cup.
"And I think our situation warrants that because there's no difference between the two goalies."
The Sharks were believed to be working on a deal Wednesday with Nolan Schaefer's agent to trade the young goalie.
Toskala, playing better and more healthy, finished as San Jose's starting goalie last season. At age 29, the native of Finland is two years younger than Nabokov, but making his first Opening Night start.
During a preseason in which the Sharks won six of eight games, Toskala produced the better numbers. He went 3-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .925 save percentage compared with 1-1, 3.31 and .897 for Nabokov.
"I think I had a good preseason," Toskala said. "I was trying to focus on my game. I feel great and really comfortable on the ice."
Neither player knew of his playing status until told before practice Wednesday. Nabokov, who met behind closed-doors with Wilson for several minutes following the skate, downplayed the significance of dressing as the backup against the Blues.
"I guess if you want, you can make a really big issue out of it, but I don't want to get into that," Nabokov said. "It's out of my control. Whatever they plan, it's their plan. I've got to come out and play hard when asked."
Nabokov was disappointed in the final five of the 10 goals he surrendered in the preseason, but said he feels fine and is happy to be working with Warren Strelow in person again every day after the team's goaltending coach had been away the last couple of seasons because of illness.
Wilson, too, warns not to read too much into Toskala starting tonight.
"Based on how he finished last season and how he played in the preseason, he gets to play the first game," the coach said. "It doesn't mean anything more than that. It doesn't mean he's the No. 1 goalie and Nabby's the backup. I don't want to read any of that because that's not the case at all."
Wilson said the plan is to split the pair for now, but if one struggles and another plays well, one might take the reins for a while. He's not worried about bruising any egos, either.
"They deal with that. I don't care about somebody's hurt feelings. Boo hoo," Wilson said, pointing to a box of tissues on his desk. "My feelings are hurt if someone doesn't get the job done. When you're put in and you're not ready because your feelings are hurt, my feelings are hurt. And that's what they don't want.
"We're a team, we're here to win, not to satisfy somebody's ego. We're here to win the Stanley Cup. Period."
Briefly: Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff left practice early Wednesday. He's still nursing an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight's game. Doug Murray or Rob Davison will play if Ehrhoff is out. ... Rookie defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is set to make his NHL debut. ... Defensemen Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and forward Vladimir Orszagh are on injured reserve for the Blues, who missed the postseason for the first time in 26 seasons last year.
Both will play.
Toskala gets the call tonight when the Sharks open a season of great expectations against visiting St. Louis. Nabokov will start Saturday's Game 2 when the New York Islanders roll into San Jose.
After that? It's anyone's guess.
"We have two great goalies, so why shouldn't they both play?" Wilson asked rhetorically. "Minnesota has been doing this for years and their goalies have done really well. Carolina did it last year in the playoffs for God's sakes and they won the Stanley Cup.
"And I think our situation warrants that because there's no difference between the two goalies."
The Sharks were believed to be working on a deal Wednesday with Nolan Schaefer's agent to trade the young goalie.
Toskala, playing better and more healthy, finished as San Jose's starting goalie last season. At age 29, the native of Finland is two years younger than Nabokov, but making his first Opening Night start.
During a preseason in which the Sharks won six of eight games, Toskala produced the better numbers. He went 3-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .925 save percentage compared with 1-1, 3.31 and .897 for Nabokov.
"I think I had a good preseason," Toskala said. "I was trying to focus on my game. I feel great and really comfortable on the ice."
Neither player knew of his playing status until told before practice Wednesday. Nabokov, who met behind closed-doors with Wilson for several minutes following the skate, downplayed the significance of dressing as the backup against the Blues.
"I guess if you want, you can make a really big issue out of it, but I don't want to get into that," Nabokov said. "It's out of my control. Whatever they plan, it's their plan. I've got to come out and play hard when asked."
Nabokov was disappointed in the final five of the 10 goals he surrendered in the preseason, but said he feels fine and is happy to be working with Warren Strelow in person again every day after the team's goaltending coach had been away the last couple of seasons because of illness.
Wilson, too, warns not to read too much into Toskala starting tonight.
"Based on how he finished last season and how he played in the preseason, he gets to play the first game," the coach said. "It doesn't mean anything more than that. It doesn't mean he's the No. 1 goalie and Nabby's the backup. I don't want to read any of that because that's not the case at all."
Wilson said the plan is to split the pair for now, but if one struggles and another plays well, one might take the reins for a while. He's not worried about bruising any egos, either.
"They deal with that. I don't care about somebody's hurt feelings. Boo hoo," Wilson said, pointing to a box of tissues on his desk. "My feelings are hurt if someone doesn't get the job done. When you're put in and you're not ready because your feelings are hurt, my feelings are hurt. And that's what they don't want.
"We're a team, we're here to win, not to satisfy somebody's ego. We're here to win the Stanley Cup. Period."
Briefly: Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff left practice early Wednesday. He's still nursing an upper-body injury and is questionable for tonight's game. Doug Murray or Rob Davison will play if Ehrhoff is out. ... Rookie defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is set to make his NHL debut. ... Defensemen Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and forward Vladimir Orszagh are on injured reserve for the Blues, who missed the postseason for the first time in 26 seasons last year.
