Caps rookie goalie Braden Holtby was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week on Monday (full story here). The 21-year-old rookie stopped 110 of the 114 shots on goal he faced in three starts and a relief appearance last week. That’s good for a .965 save percentage.
Holtby was filling in for injured goalies Michal Neuvirth (eye) and Semyon Varlamov (knee.) He stopped all 21 shots he faced against Tampa Bay on Monday night in relief of Neuvirth, who took a shot off the mask early in that game. He stopped all 22 shots in a 5-0 shutout of Edmonton on Wednesday. Carolina managed to slip just one puck past Holtby on Friday as he made 40 saves in another victory. And he gave up three goals on 30 shots in an overtime win against defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago on Sunday.
Not a bad way to jump headfirst into the playoff goalie conversation. To be honest, even if we agree that Neuvirth is still the likely No. 1 when the regular season ends we still don’t know if or when Varlamov will be healthy – or if he can remain healthy. At the least, Holtby has given the Caps confidence they can turn to him this spring, if needed.
“Obviously it’s nice to see that you’re getting recognized a bit,” Holtby said during a conference call with reporters this afternoon. “But at the same time it’s only one week. I want to keep this going and keep this winning streak going as long as we can.”
In all, the 21-year-old was 4-0 with a 1.05 goals-against average last week. He helped the Caps move into second place in the Eastern Conference and expanded their lead in the Southeast Division to five points over Tampa Bay. He has stopped 197 of the last 204 shots he’s faced in the NHL over the span of two call-ups from AHL Hershey. In 11 appearances Holtby is 8-2-2 with a 1.84 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
Washington has won eight games in a row. But Holtby said he hadn’t been told yet by coach Bruce Boudreau if he would start tomorrow night when the Caps play Montreal on the road. He is the third goalie to win an NHL honor this season for Washington. Varlamov was named the league’s First Star of the week Jan. 3 and Nuevirth was rookie of the month in October.
“That success just comes from a team’s play,” Holtby said. “You don’t get too may of those accolades if you’re on a losing team. I kind of reap the rewards I guess. But it is a team thing.”
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