The Washington Capitals have been one of the hottest teams in the league, all thanks to some stellar goaltending from Braden Holtby.
The Washington Capitals are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games with the only team having a better record being the red-hot New York Islanders (9-0-1). Their offense has been clicking but the biggest reason is Braden Holtby and his incredible play between the pipes.
When the season started, Holtby was not good. He was 1-1-2 in his first five games and the Capitals started playing Ilya Samsonov to try and achieve better results. They gave Holtby another crack at it on October 18 against the New York Rangers and he has not looked back since.
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He has yet to lose in regulation in his last 11 games, with a dominant record of 10-0-1. His .926% save percentage during that span is night and day compared to his .846% to start the season. Last night’s 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks was his seventh straight win and his point streak is now at 11.
The Capitals do a great job of supporting him with consistent offense but it’s not like his workload has been a breeze. In four of his last six games, he was faced with 30+ shots and won them all. In fact, Washington is allowing the fifth-most shots against in the league. If it weren’t for Holtby’s play, who knows where the Capitals would be in the standings.
Entering his contract season, it was key for him to have a strong season to earn all the money he deserves. For some players, the pressure is very difficult to deal with and they sometimes struggle out of the gate. He struggled for a bit but he’s quickly bounced back into tip-top Holtby shape.
Holtby has always been a very difficult goaltender to figure out. Sometimes he is lights out and other times he can’t stop a beach ball. However, throughout his entire career, he’s always managed to turn it on right when it matters. The way a team starts a season is extremely important as it is crucial to put your best foot forward and establish yourself in the standings.
With a quarter of the season through, Holtby has put the Capitals at the top of the Eastern Conference and injected confidence and swagger into this team with his strong play in net. He’s proven that he’s still got it in the tank which is important for Washington this year as they try to make it two Stanley Cups in three years.