Kolzig: Not Stirring, But Shaken?

"I asked [Olie Kolzig] if he was upset about not playing [tomorrow night against Carolina] and he said he wasn't going to stir up anything in the media." - Corey Masisak

Whether that means that Olie is veteran enough to know that the media is not the place to stir up anything or whether he is veteran enough not to stir up anything at all, one thing seems clear - Olie isn't happy about not getting tomorrow night's start (one doesn't decline to stir up anything if there's nothing to stir up in the first place). And given how he has performed in his last two games and his career 26-13-8-1 record, 2.27 GAA, .922 save percentage and four shutouts against the 'Canes/Whalers, he'd be justified if he was a bit peeved.

So is there anything more to read into Brent Johnson getting the start in the biggest game of the season, or is Bruce Boudreau merely making sure both guys are both rested and in a rhythm down the stretch? It's almost certainly the latter. But I certainly don't blame Kolzig for wanting - and thinking he deserves - Friday night's start... and for not wanting to stir up anything in the media.

Update: Speaking of Kolzig and the media, Scott Burnside has a piece over on Olie at ESPN.com. Money quote:

[A]nalysts, former NHL netminders and other league sources have told ESPN.com they believe Kolzig appears to have hit the wall, that his reflexes and size and intuition, all qualities he possessed in significant amounts over the course of his career, are now failing to consistently get the job done.

Ouch.