The Pittsburgh Penguins are preparing to face the Washington Capitals in round two of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As we get closer to Thursday’s game one, there’s one aspect of the match-up that seems to stick out. This aspect is the goaltending battle that we will be seeing between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby is great. He is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and is currently one of the finalists for the award this season.
Marc-Andre Fleury might not have a credit like this to his name, but he does have something Holtby doesn’t–experience. Fleury has three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and has solidified his status as a playoff performer.
With Matt Murray out, Fleury will have to prove that he can come up big this round when it’s needed.
Looking at the Capitals Goaltending
Let’s first take a look at what Fleury will be up against. We know how these playoff match-ups are. There will always be comparisons in every game of the series. Crosby vs. Ovechkin. Offence vs. Offence. PK vs. PK. Fleury vs. Holtby.
In his six game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Holtby posted a 2.36 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.
Five out of six of Washington’s games against Toronto went to overtime. One could say this is impressive, but another narrative that was evident during their series was Holtby’s struggle with being able to hold a lead.
In the playoffs, holding a lead is crucial. Holtby’s ability to play under pressure will be tested even more this series, and many more people will be watching to see if he is up for it.
Fleury’s Time
Well we already know about Fleury on the other hand. Fleury’s playoff resume serves him well. Like I said, three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and two Cups to his name proves just screams playoff performer.
On top of that, Fleury boasts a total of 103 playoff starts, in which he posted a 57-46 record with a career playoff goals against average of 2.65 and a save percentage of .907. Holtby has played half of that, with a 26-26 record in 52 starts.
In his first round series against Columbus, Fleury posted a 2.52 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. His numbers could be better, but he came in cold in relief of Matt Murray.
The Penguins will need some of that playoff performance that Fleury is known for. His numbers were all right in the first round. We’ll need him to truly step up.
Next: Bring on the Washington Capitals
It’s a battle of the goaltenders this round. If Fleury wants to prove that he truly is the Penguins X-factor, he will have to come up huge against the Caps.