Braden Holtby is the next big thing for Washington Capitals –NHL Update
When things all came down to Game 7 of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoff Semi-Finals against New York Rangers, it can be said that Washington Capitals did not deserve to have a goalie like Braden Holtby at all.
"Obviously, it's disappointing," Holtby said. "We really did believe that we had (the ability), as a team, to do it all. To look at it, we gave ourselves a great chance and it's a tough loss, especially, but what we can take away is that New York was a very
good team and we didn't leave anything on the table."
Losing Michal Neuvirth and veteran goaltender, Tomas Vokoun, near the end of the 2011-2012 regular season, Washington was forced to recall Holtby from their minor league affiliates in the American Hockey League (AHL), the Hershey Bears.
Ending off with a .935 save percentage and 1.95 goals-against average, Braden Holtby played perfectly but was disappointing by the team in the end. He was a miracle player for Washington as he led the team past Stanley Cup defenders, Boston Bruins and Tim
Thomas.
Washington’s forwards needed to pot some goals, but unfortunately, they never won the match by a more than one goal difference.
Pretty much gone are the days when Washington looked only to Alex Ovechkin for answers, which the All-Star captain has not managed to do for the past few seasons. Now, fans and the team are hoping that Braden Holtby can help them achieve that perfect balance
between good goaltending and offensive attacking.
It is safe to say that Holtby gave Washington a chance to win each and every night.
“He’s a warrior,” Capitals forward, Matt Hendricks, said. “You’ve heard that before, I’m sure, from other people. But I love that kid since last season when he got called up. He works so hard on the ice and he battles. Rebounds, he doesn’t like them in the
back of his net, even in practice.”
Seeing much more of Braden Holtby during the upcoming 2012-2013 NHL regular season should not be a surprise at all since he has now become the next big thing in the city for sure.
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