Sooner or later, the Washington Capitals are going to have to decide what they want to do with their goaltending situation. Given that Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby are both inked to one-way contracts that run through 2014-15, the simplest solution would be to return Philipp Grubauer to the minors.
That’s the simple answer, but Grubauer is doing everything in his power to make sure it isn’t the easy one.
He took advantage of another opportunity Friday night by saving 38 of 40 shots in Washington’s 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. The 22-year-old rookie now has a 5-1-1 record, 2.18 GAA and .937 save percentage in eight games.
The situation has already caused some tension among the Capitals goalies, with Neuvirth recently expressing his frustration over his lack of playing time.
For his part though, Capitals coach Adam Oates is still hedging his bets.
“Right now, it’s only been eight games and goalies, like everybody, have their waves,” Oates told the Monumental Network. He added that Grubauer has been giving his teammates some added confidence.
Washington will play against Buffalo on Sunday.