Braden Holtby dials in, and other things we learned from Capitals, Penguins Game 2

The Washington Capitals bounced back impressively in Game 2, and this time they actually held on to their lead. Here are a few things we learned from the second game of this highly contested series.

Sunday’s tilt between heated rivals in the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins brought forth some points of contention for both sides. But in the end, a hot start from Alex Ovechkin and the gang looked to be too much for the Penguins to come back from.

The Capitals scored just a minute and a half into the game with a beauty of a goal from Ovechkin, and this set the pace for the Capitals to win in a commanding fashion with a score of 4-1

Here are some takeaways from this thrilling game.

3 Takeaways from Game 2

1. Holtby dials in with his best performance of the playoffs

Coming into the playoffs this season, Braden Holtby had looked like he had lost his way. He was slumping harder than he had all season, and in turn, he had lost his starting position to Philipp Grubauer for Game 1 against the Blue Jackets.

What followed after Holtby’s first start of the playoffs on April17 was a stretch of four wins in five games, his lone loss being the only time he recorded a save percentage below .920.

Capitals fan’s will be happy after this game as Holtby followed is torrid pace, recording his best performance of the playoffs with 32 saves on 33 shots, recording an impressive .970 save percentage. He was attentive, quick to his angles and overall was in complete control of the game.

This control was shown in this great save on Jake Guentzel in the second period.

2. Caps start early again; this time they hold it

When thinking about the first game of this series most people will only think at the surface level, remembering the spectacular collapse of the Washington Capitals, all in the meager span of five minutes.

What people must not forget is that in the first game of the series, the Capitals opened the scoring only 17 seconds into the first period. The Great Eight came out flying in the first period of game two and was rewarded for his effort with a beauty only a minute-and-a-half in.

The Capitals struck first again and in similar fashion to the first game, they had amassed a three-goal lead before the third period. The difference being was that this time they didn’t blow their lead.

The defense looked strong and helped accompany the red-hot goal tending and solid offensive contribution to help square up the series at 1-1.

3. Goaltender interference isn’t the only controversial topic.

As fans of the sport, we have all been no stranger to the abundance of confusing and inconsistent goaltender interference calls that plagued the NHL all season and have continued into the playoffs. This included a controversial reversal on a game winner in overtime for the Golden Knights on Saturday.

Instead of goaltender interference though, this time we got an interesting no-goal call on a puck that looked to have possibly crossed line following a wrap around attempt from Sidney Crosby in the third period.

This call sparked controversy from many players and critics alike and has definitely been the biggest point of discussion to come from this game. Look to be seeing this goal around for a bit as just another piece of evidence that could be used to argue against the quality of officiating in the league.

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Overall, this game was of the utmost importance for the Capitals as if they had lost then they would be faced with a daunting task in taking games away from the Penguins at home. The whole team was clicking, and it showed in the final score.

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