Nabokov was chased from the Lightning's net Saturday night after yielding four goals on just eight shots by the Wild. He didn't make it through the first period. It was all Wild, all the time. They set a team record with goal goals in the first period and they spread it around -- every line found twine.

Nabokov will be in the crease Saturday against the Wild, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports. There was some thought that coach Jon Cooper might turn to top netminder Ben Bishop for both ends of the Bolts' weekend back-to-back after the goalie was rested earlier in the week, but Nabokov dependability might have swayed the coach. Nabokov has stopped 44 of the 47 shots he's faced (.936 save percentage) in his previous two starts, guiding Tampa to a win over the Flames and a close loss to the Devils. However, with the red-hot Darcy Kuemper in the opposite net for the Wild and playing better than any goalie in the league, Nabokov may be hard-pressed to come away with a victory Saturday.

Nabokov picked up his first win of the season Tuesday against the Flames. He stopped 21 of 22 shots in the 2-1 victory. Nabokov has stopped 44 of 47 shots (.936 save percentage) while spelling No. 1 goalie Ben Bishop on a pair of back-to-back sets this season -- production that's about as good as the Bolts could have hoped to receive from their backup. The 39-year-old will be used sparingly this season, which may allow him to uphold respectable ratios while he remains consistently fresh.

Nabokov will be in the net Tuesday versus the Flames, Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune reports. Nabokov will make his second start of the season with the Bolts' concluding their back-to-back set Tuesday. Those back-to-back scenarios are likely the only scenarios in which Nabokov will receive starts this season, as the Bolts appear set to lean heavily on Ben Bishop. Nabokov performed respectably in his season debut last Tuesday against the Devils, stopping 23 of 25 shot attempts in defeat.

Nabokov made 23 saves in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Devils. He put in a solid performance, but Cory Schneider stymied Nabby's mates at the other end. Expect him to get 20-25 starts this season to spell off Ben Bishop. He'll have value based on the strong team in front of him, so roll him when he's between the pipes.

Nabokov will be between the pipes for Tuesday's game against the Devils, Bryan Burns of the Lightning's official website reports. Nabokov will make his first start for Tampa Bay with Ben Bishop getting a night off after starting three straight games. He will be tested by a Devils team that scored 11 goals in its first two games of the season.

Evgeni Nabokov doesn't mind serving as a backup and as a mentor in Tampa Bay. "Anytime my name is called, I'm going to be ready," he said. "Obviously I understand my age, and people talk about it. But I don't feel it. Nothing I can do with the situation. At this age, I'm fine with it. I'm still enjoying playing hockey. I still feel like I can help the team achieve a goal so that's why I'm still playing." He's excited to join the Lightning and he likes the direction the team is heading. He'll back up Ben Bishop in 2014-15 and he's expected to help goalie prospects Kristers Gudlevskis and Andrei Vasilevskiy as well.

Evgeni Nabokov has signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. At this stage of Nabokov's career, he's not a starting goaltender and his deal with the Lightning can be seen as an acknowledgment of that. Ben Bishop is firmly cemented as the team's number one goaltender, but Nabokov should get a decent amount of starts by backup standards.

Evgeni Nabokov is expected to test the unrestricted free agent waters. The New York Islanders are willing to re-sign him, but Nabokov would be reduced to serving as the team's backup. He'll turn 39 years old in July though and we anticipate there being a market for him as a clear starter. That said, he might be able to join a team that has a vulnerable starter or an unclear goaltending situation where he'll be able to compete for the number one spot throughout the season.

The New York Islanders are still interested in bringing back Evgeni Nabokov, even after acquiring the negotiating rights to Jaroslav Halak. That being said, if Nabokov returns to the Islanders, it would be as the team's backup goaltender. Nabokov is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.