With this week being NHL Goalie Week in the hockey world, it is the perfect time to talk about the contributions of Braden Holtby for the Washington Capitals. The 2018 Capitals roster had a lot of stellar talent on it. Leading the way was captain and superstar winger Alex Ovechkin, who scored 49 goals and registered 38 assists for 87 points in 82 games in the regular season. He also had 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 24 games during the 2018 postseason.
Additionally, Washington got great offensive production out of other players as well. There was Evgeny Kuznetsov, who led all Capitals in playoff points with 32. Then, there was Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller, and Tom Wilson. On the defense; the Capitals were led by veterans like John Carlson, Brooks Orpik, and Matt Niskanen. They also got nice blue line production out of Dmitry Orlov. The last line of defense for Washington was one of the best throughout their entire lineup. It was between the pipes in their world-class netminder Braden Holtby. If a Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy did not help show how spectacular Holtby was for Washington, then his play helping clinch the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship definitely does. He is one of the best players to ever play for the club.
Holtby’s Seasonal Stats Before the Cup Year
Braden Holtby was drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut for the team during the 2010-11 season. He suited up for 14 games, and posted a record of 10-2-2. Holtby finished that campaign with a save percentage (SV%) of .934, along with a goals against average (GAA) of 1.79. In addition, he also earned two shutouts. Washington had quite the goaltending trio in the locker room too. The other two netminders who suited up for the Capitals in 2010-11 were Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth led the way with 48 games played, while Varlamov finished the campaign with 27 games played.
It was not long though before Holtby became the main goalie in D.C. Varlamov went to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2011-12 season, and Neuvirth was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres during the 2013-14 campaign. Holtby around this time was putting up superb numbers defending the Capitals’ crease. From 2012-13 to 2016-17, he accrued the following:
- 2012-13: 23-12-1, 2.58 GAA, .920 SV%, and four shutouts in 36 games played
- 2013-14: 23-15-4, 2.85 GAA, .915 SV%, and four shutouts in 48 games played
- 2014-15: 41-20-10, 2.22 GAA, .923 SV%, and nine shutouts in 73 games played
- 2015-16: 48-9-7, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV%, and three shutouts in 66 games played
- 2016-17: 42-13-6, 2.07 GAA, .925 SV%, and nine shutouts in 63 games played
The 2015-16 season led to Holtby winning the Vezina Trophy for best goalie in the league that year. That 48-9-7 record was so impressive by him. He was so excellent when called upon, and that is why he was one of the best goalies in the world at the time. The 2016-17 campaign saw Holtby win the William M. Jennings Trophy. He was awarded again for his outstanding play between the pipes. However, the ultimate prize for him came at the end of 2017-18.
Holtby Helped Washington Win the Stanley Cup
Holtby played in 54 games for Washington in 2017-18. He posted a 34-16-4 record, with a 2.99 GAA and a .907 SV%. The remaining time in net for the Capitals was used by Philipp Grubauer. In the regular season, Grubauer’s record was 15-10-3. He had a GAA of 2.35 and a SV% of .923. Then-head coach Barry Trotz decided to start off with Grubauer for the 2018 playoffs. His postseason stats were two games started, one loss, eight goals against, a 4.55 GAA, and a .837 SV%.
Trotz then turned to Holtby, and he got the job done from there. Washington eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games, beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games (with Kuznetsov scoring one of the biggest goals of his career), and defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games to head to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. They faced the new-expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who made it to the Cup Final in their inaugural campaign.
The Golden Knights took Game 1 with a 6-4 victory. Washington’s goals came from Brett Connolly, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson. After that loss, the Capitals did not lose again the rest of the series. Game 2 had Washington defeat Vegas, 3-2. Capitals were powered by goals from Lars Eller, Alex Ovechkin, and Brooks Orpik. Holtby made 37 saves and registered a .949 SV%. Washington won Game 3 by a 3-1 score. Holtby stopped 21 shots; while Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Devante Smith-Pelly tallied the goals. Game 4 was a 6-2 victory for the club. T.J. Oshie had a three point game with a goal and two assists. Other goals came from Wilson, Smith-Pelly, Carlson, Michal Kempny, and Connolly. Holtby made 28 saves.
Game 5 that clinched the Stanley Cup saw the Capitals get goal contributions from Jakub Vrana, Ovechkin, Smith-Pelly, and Lars Eller to get the go-ahead-goal to clinch the championship. Holtby stopped 28 shots, and the Capitals officially won it all.
Holtby’s Legacy in D.C.
Braden Holtby played for the Capitals until 2019-20. Following that campaign, he left the organization and signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Holtby was there for a season, before playing his last NHL campaign with the Dallas Stars in 2021-22. He has an all-time record of 299-143-50 with a 2.59 GAA, a .915 SV%, and 35 shutouts. He also finished with a postseason record of 50-46-1. Holtby had a playoff SV% of .926, a GAA of 2.13, and seven shutouts.
As the hockey world celebrates NHL Goalie Week, it is important for Capitals fans to remember how great of a netminder Holtby was. Sure, it was not that long ago that he was in D.C. winning games for the club. However, it was fortunate for the organization and the fans that a world-class goalie like Holtby was able to play so well and be there for so long. They had a star in the crease and they had him for parts of 10 seasons. He was one of the many talents who helped make that 2018 squad so special.
