Capitals' Philipp Grubauer: Gets starting nod for Game 1

Grubauer will tend the twine for Thursday's Game 1 matchup with Columbus.

It seems Grubauer's strong finish to the season -- a 7-3-0 record with a 2.31 GAA in his previous 10 outings -- has earned him the somewhat surprise start over veteran Braden Holtby. Coach Barry Trotz will likely make his netminder decisions on a game-by-game basis, so this probably shouldn't be taken as a confirmation of the 25-year-old Grubauer for the entire opening-round series.