49 Braden Holtby G

Holtby surrendered five goals on 36 shots in a 6-5 shootout win over the Canadiens on Wednesday.

Fantasy managers, avert your eyes -- Holtby let four separate one-goal leads slip away. Tyler Toffoli completed a hat trick at 16:19 of the third period to give the Canadiens a 5-4 lead that lasted all of 32 seconds before Brock Boeser retied it for the Canucks. In the shootout, Holtby stopped three of four shots to ultimately earn the win. It wasn't pretty for the 31-year-old goalie, and with dates versus the Canadiens set for Thursday and Saturday, it may be best to leave him on the virtual bench for a while.

Holtby led the Canucks onto the ice, indicating he will guard the home goal in Wednesday's game versus the Canadiens, Thomas Drance of The Athletic Vancouver reports.

Holtby has allowed three goals in each of his two starts. He's taken a win and a loss so far, but he'll have to battle a Canadiens team that has scored 12 times in three outings. This could be a tough start for the 31-year-old netminder, making him a risky play for fantasy managers.

Contrary to an earlier report, Holtby will not start against the Flames on Monday, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Thatcher Demko will be in goal for Vancouver despite Holtby guarding the starter's net in practice. Through four games, the two netminders have split starts evenly for Vancouver. Assuming that trend sticks, except Holtby to start against Montreal on Wednesday.

Holtby was in the starter's net for Monday's morning skate, suggesting he'll man the crease in the evening against Calgary, Aaron Vickers of FCHockey reports.

Holtby will be making his third start in Vancouver's first four games, so he's currently viewed as the superior option to Thatcher Demko. The former Capitals netminder is 1-1-0 on the young season, having allowed three goals in each of his first two appearances, including Saturday's 3-0 loss to Calgary.

Holtby stopped 32 of 35 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Flames on Saturday.

Holtby put in a similar effort to his first game of the year, but his teammates were unable to solve Jacob Markstrom at the other end of the rink. All three goals for the Flames also came with a Canuck in the penalty box, which makes it very difficult to pin the loss on Holtby. The 31-year-old netminder will look to tighten things up in his next start, which could come as soon as Monday in a rematch versus the Flames.

According to Farhan Lalji of TSN, Holtby was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, indicating he'll patrol the crease during Saturday's road clash with Calgary.

Holtby wasn't great in his Canucks debut Wednesday against the Oilers, surrendering three goals on 31 shots, but he was still able to pick up his first win of the season thanks to strong goal support from his teammates. The 31-year-old backstop will attempt to pick up a second straight victory in a road matchup with a Flames team that dropped it's first game of the season to the Jets in overtime.

Holtby stopped 28 of 31 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.

Holtby won his first start as a Canuck, and he allowed just one point to the Oilers' top two centers -- Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet, while Leon Draisaitl had an assist. It's a great start to the second chapter of Holtby's career after he had a 3.11 GAA and an .897 save percentage with the Capitals last year. The Canucks and Oilers meet again Thursday, but it could be Thatcher Demko getting the nod in goal for the former.

Holtby will make a road start in Wednesday's season opener against the Oilers, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

Holtby will make his Canucks debut Wednesday night as he looked to bounce back from a turbulent 2019-20 season in which he posted an .897 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA over 48 games with the Capitals. The 31-year-old will be immediately tested against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Holtby inked a two-year, $8.6 million contract with Vancouver on Friday, Thomas Drance of The Athletic Vancouver reports.

Holtby has spent the past 10 years playing in Washington where he posted a 282-122-46 record in 468 appearances along with a .916 save percentage and 35 shutouts. The veteran netminder is coming off the poorest statistical season of his career, as he posted personal worsts in saves percentage (.897) and GAA (3.11). Holtby figures to at least push Thatcher Demko for the starting role, though the duo could split time next year, especially if the league is working with a condensed schedule.

Holtby allowed two goals on 15 shots Thursday in a 4-0 loss to the Islanders in Game 5.

Holtby had little chance on either goal he allowed (both by Anthony Beauvillier), not that it mattered with Semyon Varlamov blanking the Washington offense at the other end of the ice. Holtby, an unrestricted free agent following the season, finished the playoffs with a 2.49 GAA and .906 save percentage in eight appearances. There's a good chance he played his final game as a Capital on Thursday.

Holtby is expected to start Thursday's Game 5 matchup with the Islanders.

Holtby helped Washington avoid a sweep by stopping 24 of 26 shots in Game 4, just his second win of the postseason. In his seven playoff appearances, the netminder is sporting a 2.55 GAA and .909 save percentage. Holtby and the Caps will need to stay on top of their game the rest of the way in order to avoid being sent home.

Holtby stopped 24 of 26 shots Tuesday in a 3-2 win over the Islanders in Game 4.

Holtby went long stretches without facing any work in this one, particularly once Washington started its comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He allowed goals by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal in the opening nine minutes but was perfect the rest of the way. Although the Capitals still trail the series 3-1, Holtby has elevated his play with a .933 save percentage over the last two games.

Holtby is slated to start Tuesday's Game 4 matchup with the Islanders.

Holtby put together a strong performance in Game 3, as he stopped 32 of 34 shots (.941 save percentage), but it wasn't enough to stop the Isles from taking a 3-0 series lead. The veteran netminder may need to be absolutely perfect in order to avoid the sweep.

Holtby made 32 saves Sunday in the Capitals' 2-1 overtime loss to the Islanders during Game 3 of their first-round series.

The netminder was the main reason the game even went to an extra period. Washington played back on its heels most of the afternoon, and Holtby had to come up with a number of huge stops just to keep his team in it, until finally getting beaten on a fantastic solo effort by Mathew Barzal in OT. The Caps are now on the brink of being swept, but Holtby will try to keep them alive in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Holtby led the team out for warmups and will start in Sunday's Game 3 versus the Islanders.

The Islanders have had the upper hand on Holtby through two games, scoring four goals in each contest to take a 2-0 lead. Without a proven backup, the Capitals will send Holtby back to the blue paint. The 30-year-old netminder will need a strong performance to keep the Capitals' Stanley Cup hopes thriving.

Holtby yielded four goals on 31 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders in Game 2. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

The Capitals gave Holtby a quick lead again thanks to an Alex Ovechkin goal in the first minute. Things turned for the worse for Holtby in the second period, and the Islanders' three-goal rally was too much for the Capitals to come back from. The 30-year-old netminder has given up eight goals on 58 shots in the series, which sees the Capitals down 2-0. Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek are the other goalies on the roster -- more than likely, it will be up to Holtby to turn things around in Sunday's Game 3.

Holtby will patrol the crease during Friday's Game 2 versus the Islanders.

Holtby wasn't great in Game 1, surrendering four goals on 27 shots en route to a 4-2 defeat. The 30-year-old backstop will need to be far better in order to give his team a shot at tying up the series Friday, as the Capitals offense will undoubtedly be hamstrung to an extent by Nicklas Backstrom's (concussion) absence, so goals will come at a premium.

Holtby turned aside 23 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the islanders during Game 1.

Staked to a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, Holtby couldn't make it stick. The netminder had a clean look at Jordan Eberle's shot late in the second but still whiffed on it for the Isles' first goal, then early in the third he left a juicy rebound for Anders Lee, which tied the score. Holtby's rough night wasn't over -- after catching a lazy dump-in with the Caps on the power play, he cleared the puck into the corner expecting Alex Ovechkin to pick it up, only for Brock Nelson to swoop in and find Josh Bailey in the slot for what proved to be the game-winner. Holtby was coming off the worst statistical season of his career when the regular season was suspended, and he hasn't been a whole lot better in the playoffs, posting a .907 save percentage through four games. With Ilya Samsonov (undisclosed) out of action, however, Washington can only hope Holtby turns things around.

Holtby will get the starting nod for Wednesday's Game 1 clash with the Islanders, Mike Vogel of NHL.com reports.

Holtby posted a mediocre 1-1-1 record in the Caps' three round-robin clashes despite registering a solid 1.98 GAA and .925 save percentage. If the veteran netminder can continue to produce at similar levels, it should give his team plenty of chances to secure victories and advance to the next round.

Holtby turned aside 30 shots during Sunday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in the final round-robin seeding game.

The veteran netminder took a shutout into the third period before Jake DeBrusk finally got a puck past him. Holtby started all three games of the round robin, going 1-1-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .925 save percentage, and he's locked into the No. 1 spot for the Caps as they get ready to take on the Islanders in the official first round of the playoffs.