WILMINGTON, MAIf theres one weakness the Bruins can exploit when they take the ice against the Washington Capitals, it could be between the pipes.
Tomas Vokoun has been out with a groin injury since getting removed from the Caps victory over the Bruins on Mach 29 after aggravating the problem, and it appears he wont be ready to start the postseason. Michael Neuvirth skated on his own prior to Mondays Capitals practice while working his way back from a left legankle injury, but he isnt expected to be ready for Thursday nights Game One either.
So that leaves Washington with goaltending rookie Braden Holtby to start the playoff series.
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The 22-year-old Holtby has no playoff experience, but has been excellent with the Capitals posting a 14-4-3 record with 2.02 goals against average and .929 save percentage while mixing in with Neuvirth and Vokoun. Those numbers are nice, but on paper it appears to be a mismatch next to Tim Thomas and the Bruins goaltending situation.
That tends to happen when you place a fresh-faced goaltender side-by-side with four-time All-Star goaltender with reams of experience, and both Vezina Trophies and Conn Smythe Trophies on his award shelf.
The Bs goaltender might feel that and think that in his heart of hearts, but he cautioned against getting too overconfident facing a group of Washington goaltenders clearly in flux due to injuries. Thomas referenced the Capitals goaltending situation while breaking down their team as an opponent.
Obviously they have a potent offense. They had our number this year, but that doesnt really mean anything going into the playoffs as weve seen in the past, said Tim Thomas. They have some physicality. I dont know how physical theyre going to play us in the series. That really remains to be seen. Thats their offense and thats their biggest danger.
We have to be willing to put in the work that needs to be done on our offensive side. I know that it looks like at this point theyre going to have a young goalie playing, but that doesnt mean anything. You cant take for granted. Sometimes those kids can stand on their heads in those situations for a number of reasonsbut one of them is that they never expected to be there so they dont have that mental pressure.
Playoff series are never won with paper matchups and lopsided strengths and weakness in postseason previews, but the Bruins have to feel good about their goaltending situation headed into a series expected to go deep into April.