The Caps surrendered a power play goal less than 90 seconds into Tuesday’s game in Anaheim. But the 4-0 loss to the Ducks isn’t Washington’s biggest problem right now.
That would be slumping No. 1 goalie Braden Holtby, who gave up three goals on the first nine shots he faced before being pulled in favor of Philipp Grubauer.
Holtby has been yanked four times since Feb 2 and seven times in all. Each time Holtby has gotten the hook, by the way, it’s come on the road. Grubauer, meantime, has won his last four starts.
Is there a goalie controversy brewing? That’s unclear. Holtby's got a long, successful history with Trotz and a lot of equity in the bank. But it’s going to be very interesting to see how Coach Barry Trotz navigates a delicate situation.
Tarik’s three stars of the game:
1-Adam Henrique, Ducks
The third line center struck on the power play just 1:24 into the contest.
Henrique, who came over in a trade from the Devils on Nov. 30, has four goals and three assists in the last 10 games.
2-John Gibson, Ducks
Gibson made 18 saves to extend his career-best winning streak to six games.
With the win, the 24-year-old matched his career-high for victories with 25, which he set last year.
3-Philipp Grubauer, Capitals
Grubauer wasn’t tested much, but he came up big a couple of times in the third period.
The German netminder stopped all eight shots he faced. In all, the Caps outshot the Ducks, 36-18.
Agree? Disagree? Let us know what think in the comments.
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