If you've followed this series, a Capitals goaltending change seemed inevitable.
When Barry Trotz announced he would begin the series with Philipp Grubauer in net, it wasn't a total surprise, either. He was the hot hand late in the regular season and Braden Holtby had been struggling; at least to open the Stanley Cup playoffs, Trotz seemed content to play the odds.
And now, after the Blue Jackets won both games in D.C. amid Grubauer's struggles, Trotz is going back to Holtby. The playoff-tested Vezina Trophy winner is a tough customer when he's on his game, and the Blue Jackets didn't get to spend much time in front of him in Game 2, when they were heavily out-shot in the third period.
Braden Holtby will be the Capitals starting goaltender for Game 3.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 17, 2018
Holtby went 34–16–4 in the 2017-18 regular season with a.907 save percentage, 12 percentage points below his .919 career average. He is 29–31 in 60 career playoff starts with a .932 save percentage.
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