Capitals likely to go with emergency goalie plan in Game 2 vs. Bruins

Craig Anderson was pressed into duty early in Game 1, and it looks like he’ll start between the pipes for the Washington Capitals in Game 2 against the Bruins.

With Ilya Samsonov unavailable on the COVID-19 list, the Washington Capitals turned to rookie Vitek Vanecek to start in-goal for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins. When Vanecek suffered a lower body injury in the first period Saturday night, in stepped Craig Anderson.

Anderson spent most of the season on the Capitals’ taxi squad as the third goalie. He appeared in four regular season games, with two starts, with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. The veteran netminder saved the day in Game 1, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced as Washington banked a 3-2 win in overtime.

Samsonov came off the COVID protocol list on Sunday, and he was on the ice for practice. But it’s safe to say he won’t be anywhere near ideal playing shape for Game 2 on Monday night, after nearly two weeks off the ice. With Vanecek considered day-to-day, the Capitals have called up goaltender Zach Fucale from the minors.

All signs point to Craig Anderson starting Game 2

According to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, all signs point to Anderson starting between the pipes for the Capitals in Game 2 against the Bruins.

Anderson will turn 40 this coming week. He obviously has a lot of experience, with 422 career regular season starts and 40 playoff starts. In his playoff career he has a 2.30 goals-against and .928 save percentage. During the Ottawa Senators’ run to the conference finals in 2017, he had a .922 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average in 19 postseason games.

The Capitals have gotten thin for healthy options in-goal fairly quickly, at the most important time of the season. But if Anderson can hold it together for a whole game and help earn a 2-0 lead over the Bruins, that’s as good as anyone else would have done and a huge big picture win for Washington.