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Holtby wins goalie duel vs. Neuvirth; Capitals eliminate Flyers

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Thanks to a shutout from Braden Holtby, the Washington Capitals will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.

When the Washington Capitals went up 3-0 in their first-round series, the Philadelphia Flyers were miserable and their fans were chucking wristbands on the ice. It looked like there would be an ignominious end to what was a feel-good story.

Instead, the Flyers made things a lot more interesting, falling in Game 6 while their fans gave them a heartfelt ovation. It all felt more fitting for Philly’s overachieving 2015-16 season.

Of course, Michal Neuvirth deserves an enormous share of the credit. He was absolutely fantastic in replacing Steve Mason, but likely Vezina winner Braden Holtby ultimately won that staring contest.

Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal of the game as the Capitals won 1-0 to lock down this series 4-2.

Once Philly got back into the thick of things, this was a tight, hard-hitting series. The Capitals faced some tests in the first round that might just provide lessons as they hope to finally make a deep run with Alex Ovechkin & Co.

There might be some feeling of regret for the Flyers, particularly from this game. Philly received an extended 5-on-3 power play in which they likely were lucky to get both calls, yet they didn’t muster many high-level chances against a spry Holtby.

Still, the Flyers redeemed themselves in what you might even call a ... classy manner.

Question: do you think they wished the Capitals good luck against Sidney Crosby and the hated Pittsburgh Penguins?