Breaking Down The Net, Part 3

23. Braden Holtby earned his first season of full time duty last year, and he didn’t disappoint. Holtby helped the Caps bounce back from a disastrous start and helped push them into the playoffs late in the season. His play in the playoffs was inconsistent at best against the New York Rangers, and the Capitals fell to the Rangers in 7 games. When Holtby was on his game, the Capitals won, but when he wasn’t at his best, the Caps lost. Consistency is the name of the game for an NHL goaltender.

Holtby played in 36 games last season, starting 35 himself. He posted an overall record of 23-12-1, with a goals against average of 2.58, and a save percentage of .920%, with 4 shutouts on the year. Holtby played well when it mattered during the regular season but couldn’t come through in the playoffs. The experiance should help him in the long run, as the Caps look to get back this season. The only problem is with a full 82 game season, it’s pretty easy to get buried in the standings if you start the year off like they did last season.

On the bench for the Caps is goaltender Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth never quite panned out the way the Capitals were hoping, but he’s settled into his number two spot on the team behind Holtby. He made 12 starts last season and wasn’t terrible for it. He sported a record of 4-5-2, a goals against average of 2.74, and a save percentage of .910%. The Capitals need Neuvirth to be better when he plays, his numbers aren’t excellent, and they need the best goalie they can get in net night in and night out.