Did the Tampa Bay Lightning Give Evgeni Nabokov A Fair Shot?
By Dan Herrejon
Dec 19, 2014; Newark, NJ, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Evgeni Nabokov (20) makes a save during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Written by Angelo Resciniti
Evgeni Nabokov did everything the Tampa Bay Lightning asked him to do. Except to win games.
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The problem is/was simple, though: the Lightning asked Nabokov to do something he had never before done — play part-time as a back-up goalie — and, well, he just couldn’t do it very effectively.
So, sure, the Bolts gave him a fair shot, playing him in 11 games, during which he achieved a lackluster 3-6-2 record with a 3.15 goals against average and a .882 save percentage, all career lows in his 14 NHL seasons. You have to search back to last century in the AHL to find shakier stats for Nabby.
The man won the Calder Trophy with the San Jose Sharks during his 2000-01 rookie season when he enjoyed a 32-21-7 record and a miserly 2.19 GAA. He won 37 games the next season and grabbed 46 in 2007-08, 41 in 2008-09, and 44 in 2009-10, when his game was it its zenith.
When healthy, Nabokov started in net nearly every night. He played in an amazing 77 (of 82) games in 2007-08. He consistently stood in the crease 50 or 60 games in a season. He performed admirably in the playoffs after eight seasons, seven times with San Jose and once with the Islanders.
Evgeni Nabokov could definitely perform in the net, even at his advancing age, but he had to play every night, or nearly every night, to be at his best. That wasn’t going to happen in Tampa Bay where Ben Bishop returned from a Vezina finalist and career season firmly entrenched at No. 1 for the Lightning.
Nabokov was great in the locker room for the Bolts, keeping things loose with his outrageous sense of humor, and helping Bishop — and later rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has now replaced him – with insights and tips from his year behind the mask. He will be missed.
Yes, the Lightning gave Evgeni Nabokov a fair shot in net this season, but it was not really a fair position to put him in after a long and distinguished career as a go-to goalie. He probably deserved better, and so did the Bolts.
Next: Tasha's take on Nabby
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