But Kolzig is having his own struggles, at least statistically. He's 1-7 in his last eight games and been yanked twice. No disrespect toward Craig Billington, who has played particularly well of late, but Kolzig is to the Capitals what Pedro Martinez is to the Red Sox. Kolzig knows what's in the air. The Caps have given up more goals than the team is accustomed to and Mario Lemieux looms ahead.
Some context is needed here.
Kolzig isn't a guy to offer spin or the company line, nor is he one to cop out. After the West Coast blitzkrieg, Kolzig was the first to volunteer that while just about everybody else had played well, he hadn't performed up to his own standards. At times when the L's outweigh the W's, he has pointed out why the team is playing better than it appears. There's nothing knee-jerk about Kolzig's analysis of a hockey season and he doesn't need the benefit of hindsight to get it right. He is like the Redskins' Darrell Green in that way.