The Washington Capitals sit atop the Eastern Conference with 44 points now after their 4-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins two nights ago. At 21-6-2 in the first 29 games of the season, the Caps are 1 point ahead of the struggling Canadiens and and 2 points ahead of the Rangers. Heading into tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators, Washington looks to extend that lead and cushion their hold in the East.
Washington is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, winning their last 2 in a row on the back of star netminder Braden Holtby. The Caps, as a team, have let up just 63 goals so far this season which is tops in the league, however their goal differential is just +26. That's good for third in the league, but their 89 goals for are 7th in the league.
It begs the question if the Capitals are leaning too much on the play of Braden Holtby, who is the front runner, so far, for the Vezina Trophy this season.
With a 19-4-0-1 record, Holtby leads the league in wins and goals against (1.97) while holding a .933 save percentage on 676 shots against.
Holtby's play so far this season has been incredible and has left little doubt about his breakout year last season when he was 4th in Vezina voting after posting a 41-20-10 record. Holtby will be the first to admit that he loves playing as much as possible to keep himself game ready, but are the Capitals relying on him to save them every night?
Two nights ago in Pittsburgh, the Pens fired 45 shots on goal and Holtby stopped 44 of them. It was the 8th time in the last 13 games that the Caps have let up 30+ shots on goal, and the fourth time in the last five games that Holtby has faced that many.
However, Washington is winning games and taking advantage of the Rangers and Canadiens woes. The Caps have managed to hold on to one-goal games and they received some amazing puck luck. Their aggressive forecheck has worked just fine and depth players like Jay Beagle, Tom Wilson and Jason Chimera have taken to Trotz-hockey like a lab to water.
But one reason why the Caps are giving up so many shots lately could be the absence of Brooks Orpik, who has been out for 14 games with a lower body injury. His presence in the locker room and in the defensive zone have not gone unnoticed. With no real timeline set for his return, the Caps have been relying on Taylor Chorney to fill in the third pairing. Chorney has played very well lately and gives the Caps a very reliable 7th defenseman.
The Caps are running on a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality right now. They are finding ways to win games because Holtby is giving them that chance every time. Not that Holtby would somehow falter or grow weary, but there is a strong chance that he will need to bailed out and the Caps can hopefully give Holtby a boost if/when he needs one.
If this were the end of the season and Washington was rolling along into the playoffs, I'd feel more comfortable with how things are playing out, but 30 games into the season one has to hope that Holtby can continue this pace all the way into Spring and that his teammates can alleviate his work load.
What do you think of Holtby's play this season? What do you think of the Caps' play?
More to come...