Braden Holtby Seals Capitals’ Game 2 Win with Incredible Save of the Year

The Washington Capitals hung on for a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to even the series at 1-1. Hung on cannot even describe it. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby came away with arguably the biggest save of his career and quite possibly the save of the year late in the third period to prevent a game-tying score to preserve the Capitals’ one-goal win.

David Perron sent the puck deep into the zone. The puck bounced to Cody Eakin who made a perfect pass to Alex Tuch as Holtby dropped down leaving the door open in the net. Tuch tried to deposit the puck for the score, but Holtby made an incredible stick save, diving out to stop the puck before covering it up.

Every Golden Knights fan in T-Mobile Arena thought Tuch had scored until the referee’s whistle crushed their hearts. It was an incredible sequence and quite possibly a save that will define the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

The call from Doc Emrick, the angle, the look of disbelief from Tuch and even Holtby’s teammates says it all.

That stop along with goals from Lars Eller, Alex Ovechkin, and the unlikely Brooks Orpik, who scored his first goal in over two years, lifted the Capitals to the series-evening win as the series shifts to the nation’s capital for Games 3 and 4.

Holtby stopped 37 shots in impressive fashion, as he bounced back from his forgettable performance in Game 1 in which he allowed five goals.