Capitals, Trotz must decide on goalie before playoffs begin

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz doesn't view it as a goaltending controversy.
But Trotz knows he will have to make a decision on whether Braden Holtby or Philipp Grubauer will start Game 1 when the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway in roughly two weeks.
Holtby made a strong case to reclaim the No. 1 job with 35 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena on Wednesday.

"I have two goalies and, hopefully, Braden got back," Trotz said. "If that's an indication of where his game is going, I know where [Grubauer] is at, then we're in good shape to have two goaltenders that have played valuable minutes for us and a little bit rested."
It was Holtby's first game since a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars on March 20, partly because Grubauer has been playing so well, but also because of a minor lower-body injury Holtby sustained in the victory against the Stars. Holtby flexed his left knee a few times following a collision in the third period with Stars forward Remi Elie but completed the game. He then didn't play the next two games as a precaution.
"It felt good. I felt comfortable," Holtby said of his performance Wednesday. "Obviously, it takes a little bit. It's something I'm not used to, not playing much. The stamina and such was a little different than I was used to, but it felt good to go out there and just get to work and play in a high-intensity game."
The Rangers appeared intent on testing Holtby early by firing shots at him from every angle, including 18 in the first period. The only one that eluded him in the first was Kevin Hayes' power-play backhand that hit the right post and caromed in off the back of Holtby's right pad to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 12:42.
Ryan Spooner gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with a shot from the right circle that beat Holtby to the far side 10:35 into the third period. But Holtby was sharp otherwise, and the Capitals rallied to win with Lars Eller's tying goal with 1:05 remaining and Evgeny Kuznetsov's winner 38 seconds into overtime.

On the verge of clinching a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season, the Capitals have won five in a row and nine of their past 10 to open a seven-point lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division with five games remaining. Holtby has won his past three starts following a rough stretch of eight starts when he went 1-5-2 with a 4.82 goals-against average and an .854 save percentage. He was pulled three times.
"It's improving," Holtby said. "That's the goal. I don't feel that much different though than before. It's just the way things go sometimes. You get a couple posts, and that changes the whole perception of a game for a lot of game. Those are the things you've just got to keep realistic and you want to keep improving on those."
Holtby, a Vezina Trophy finalist each of the past two seasons and the winner in 2015-16, is 32-15-4 with 3.01 GAA and a .907 save percentage. His GAA and save percentage are the worst of his eight NHL seasons.
Meanwhile, after being Holtby's steady backup for the past three seasons, Grubauer has demonstrated he's capable of being more than that. He is 14-9-3 with a 2.23 GAA, a .923 save percentage and three shutouts this season.
Grubauer's 33 games played, 26 starts and 14 wins are NHL career highs. Among goaltenders with at least 20 games played since Nov. 1, Grubauer ranks first with a .933 save percentage and a 2.02 GAA.
Since beginning to play more regularly on Feb. 15, Grubauer, 26, is 10-2-0 with a 1.92 GAA, a .936 save percentage and two shutouts.

But Grubauer wasn't in uniform Wednesday; he appeared to be in discomfort after lunging to his left in a split to try to prevent a potential Hayes rebound chance in the third period of a 4-2 win against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Although Grubauer finished the game, practiced on Tuesday and participated in the morning skate Wednesday, the Capitals held him out of the game as a precaution.
Trotz said he expects Grubauer to practice on Thursday and be available to play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, FS-CR, NHL.TV).
Grubauer said he would have been fine to back up Wednesday, and maybe if it had been Game 1 of the playoffs, he would have been the starter. But the Capitals haven't reached that point yet.
"We still have a lot of hockey games left and whatever happens, happens," Grubauer said. "Coaches make the decision. All I can do is try to win the hockey games and play my best hockey, and that's it."
Trotz has compared the Capitals' situation to what the Pittsburgh Penguins had the past two seasons with Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury taking turns during their runs to consecutive Stanley Cup championships. That there is even a question of which goaltender will start in Game 1 of the playoffs is something new for Trotz in his four seasons with the Capitals.
Grubauer has made one playoff start, filling in for an ill Holtby and making 18 saves in a 4-3 victory in Game 2 of the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round against the New York Islanders. Holtby has started 37 consecutive playoff games for the Capitals since then.
"I'm just looking to have two really good goaltenders and down the road," Trotz said. "We've still got some games left, we'll see where we are. I've said this to you before: Ask Pittsburgh what they thought of having two goaltenders at the same time. It works out."