Goaltender Braden Holtby had a rough regular season, but he’s coming through for the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Washington Capitals didn’t have an ideal start to their Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite having home-ice advantage, they lost both Games 1 and 2 at home, putting them behind 2-0 in the series. Thanks to a sub-par regular season, the Capitals initially didn’t have franchise goaltender Braden Holtby as their starting goaltender. Games 1 and 2 were started by backup goalie Philipp Grubauer.
However, after the second period in Game 2, the Capitals put in Holtby. Though the Caps still lost that game, he looked much calmer in net than Grubauer did. Going into Game 3, the Capitals made the switch official – Holtby got his starting job back.
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Asking a goaltender to go from sitting on the bench to winning you a playoff series is a pretty big deal. However, Holtby has been up to the task, leading the Capitals to road victories in Games 3 and 4.
His previous appearance in Columbus before Game 3 was a forgettable one, as he allowed four goals on 16 shots in just under 20 minutes. But like the calming force Holtby is, he was able to put that aside and focus on winning.
In Game 3, Holtby was especially stellar. He had to play nearly an extra two periods, thanks to 29 minutes of post-regulation overtime.
Entering Friday, April 20, among goalies with at least two starts, he ranks sixth with a save percentage of .940. By comparison, Grubauer has a .837 postseason save percentage. This means Holtby’s stopping one more shot than him for every 10 he sees. Had the Capitals gone with Holtby earlier in Game 2, they’d likely be up 3-1 in the series.
His postseason rebirth should come as no surprise. There’s a good reason Holtby has the second-highest postseason save percentage of all-time. As he always has, he’s been the Capitals calming presence, cornerstone, and savior.
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Should Washington advance to the second round, Holtby will most likely have to face the Pittsburgh Penguins (they’re currently up 3-1 on the Philadelphia Flyers). But without their franchise goalie, the Caps wouldn’t get that chance.
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