Washington Capitals' Braden Holtby shines for 2-1 win over Boston Bruins -NHL Playoffs Update
22-year-old goalie, Braden Holtby, was definitely the shining star of the postseason matchup between Washington and Boston, making 44 saves to lift Capitals to a 2-1 victory over Bruins, levelling the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, 2-2, on Thursday night, April 19, 2012.
The Verizon Center in Washington, District of Columbia, was jam-packed with fans hoping that their team would manage to get back into the game and avoid being put on the verge of elimination heading back to Boston for game 5.
While the Washington defenders were not performing up to par as they should have been in a postseason contest, Holtby had the team easy that his amazing goaltending skills would keep them going on the offensive end. He faced a total of 45 shots and only
let one through.
"He just makes it very calm for the rest of us," Capitals forward, Brooks Laich, said. "If we give up a shot, we know [Holtby] is going to cover it, and if he does leave a rebound -- which I didn't see many tonight -- our guys are going to clear it. When
you have a goaltender that is on top of his game, it really, really settles your team down. He was a leader for us tonight."
Tim Thomas on the other end, faced only 21 shots, less than half compared the Washington rookie, and fell short on two before being pulled out with 1:12 remaining.
For Holtby, realising his mistakes and making sure he does not repeat them again is something that has worked and allowed him to succeed so far in this series.
"That's one of the things I've just learned over the years: Realize what you did wrong and try and fix it and then you're done with it," Holtby said. "You're moving on."
Marcus Johansson put Washington on the scoreboard first with his first of the series 1:22 into the opening period followed by an equaliser from Rich Peverley at 13:12.
Alexander Semin secured the match while taking advantage of a power play opportunity with Patrice Bergeron on the benches for hooking.
Game 5 of the Boston-Washington postseason series is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, at the TD Garden.
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