It was a question last night who Jon Cooper would send out tonight in Columbus, with the team having to go again tomorrow against a less worn-down opponent. Last season, a little too often, Ben Bishop would get game #1 in a back-to-back series (with the latter game being agaisnt a tougher foe) and later in the season it became assured that Bish would start both games.
That’s not in the cards. Evgeni Nabokov has been tabbed to start tonight against Columbus, leaving Bishop the likely starter tomorrow against the Detroit Red Wings. Nabokov’s last start was the dour end-note to the Bolts western Canada trip, and they sent his stats into the gutter. Nabokov is 1-2-0 with a 3.02 GAA and a lowly .873 GAA.
The stats of Anton Forsberg, who will start for the Blue Jackets, are no better. The 21-year old has started a single game for Union Army HC, posting a 3.05 GAA and a .897 save percentage. A lone game is not a good measure to rank anyone by, though… especially a 21-year old.
