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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Round 2 Preview

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes a face-off against Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) takes a face-off against Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 8-7 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the shootout at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) in the shootout at the PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Goaltending

Pittsburgh was initially supposed to roll with Matt Murray in net, but due to an unfortunate sudden injury prior to the first round, Marc-Andre Fleury had to come in cold as the starting goaltender.

Fleury has shown no signs of slowing down though. In the first round, he made some impressive stops and posted a 2.52 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. This is great considering his lack of playing time during the regular season.

Braden Holtby on the other hand has had an impressive season. Coming off a hot season in which he took home the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, Holtby posted a 2.07 goals against average and a .925 save percentage with a 34-18-10 record. His performance earned him another Vezina nomination.

In the first round, the Capitals faced the young Toronto Maple Leafs who took them to six games. A certain narrative that formed during this series was Holtby’s inability to hold a lead. Nevertheless, Holtby posted a 2.36 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

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