Caps Eliminated Despite Holtby's Strong Performance: Braden Holtby acquitted himself well as New York eliminated Washington from the postseason Saturday. The Caps dropped a tense 2-1 decision in Game 7 in New York as the 22-year-old netminder stopped 29 shots. (Updated 05/13/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/27/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Two months ago, he was toiling in Hershey in the AHL. But the Rangers never called on another backstop in their 14-game playoff run; Braden Holtby never gave them a reason to look elsewhere, concluding the postseason with a mark of 7-7 (with four of the losses coming in overtime) and composite stats of 1.95, .935. Performances like that tend to get players invited back when training camps open in September. Veteran Tomas Vokoun's contact expires in July, so who knows? Washington may be looking at him as its goaltender of the future. Pay attention to his contract negotiations this summer to get a better sense of that role. (Updated 05/13/2012).
05/12/2012 08:44 Pregame Skate: What to watch for in Caps-Rangers Game 7
It's another Game 7 for the Rangers and Capitals and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals is on the line. It has been a tight, defensive series and there is no reason to expect that to change Saturday night.
05/09/2012 22:19 Capitals bounce back, force Game 7
Alex Ovechkin rebounded from a rare zero-shot performance by scoring after 88 seconds Wednesday night, Braden Holtby made 30 saves, and the Washington Capitals recovered from a potentially devastating loss by beating the top-seeded New York Rangers 2-1 to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
Holtby will be the starter in AHL Hershey, due to the signing of veteran Tomas Vokoun. With the success he had when he got his chance last year, the organization was comfortable enough to trade away Semyon Varlamov. Holtby may be the most talented of what is now two young guys in net for Washington. He has taken AHL Hershey to the Calder Cup, and will fine-tune his skills again this year. In 14 career contests, he has an amazing 10-2-2 record, including two shutouts with a 1.79 goals against average and .934 save percentage. This kid may be special, so look for the team to make room for him on the roster no later than next season. (Updated 8/16/11)
