With the 2018-19 season getting ready to begin, we are going to take a more in depth look at the Washington Capitals and see how they stand and what the lineup could, or should, look like. In today’s article we will be looking at the goalies for the Capitals.
Braden Holtby:
2017-18 Regular Season Stats:
54 GP 34-16-4 1648 SA 153 GA 2.99 GAA .907 S%
2018 Playoff Stats:
23 GP 16-7 2 SO 639 SA 50 GA 2.16 GAA .922 S%
Last season was not Braden Holtby’s best regular season, but having Philipp Grubauer around to take some of the load off of his shoulders was a great way for Holtby to get himself refocused going into the playoffs. Holtby is without a doubt the number one guy between the pipes for the Capitals, and he will be looking to have a stronger overall season this year.
Pheonix Copley:
2017-18 AHL Season:
41 GP 15-17-6 2.91 GAA .896 S%
The Capitals brass have decided that this season Pheonix Copley will be the back up to Holtby after trading Grubauer to Colorade at the NHL Draft. Having struggled in the AHL, one has to wonder if Copley will be able to handle the pressure of being an NHL back up.
Ilya Samsonov:
2017-18 KHL Season:
26 GP 12-9-1 2.31 GAA .926 S%
After spending the past three seasons with Magnitogorsk of the KHL, Samsonov is now making the move to North America to become a top netminder in the NHL. As the top prospect for the Capitals, there is a very good chance that if he picks up on the North American style quickly in the AHL, he could usurp Copley as the back up goalie to Holtby.
Tomorrow on TXHTHockey.com we will have our Washington Capitals Coaches Preview focusing on the coaching staff for the Capitals.
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