Evander Kane ended up playing amid controversy. John Carlson couldn’t suit up. None of it mattered, as the Washington Capitals just kept winning.
Washington’s two biggest stars figured in to a feisty one on Wednesday, as Braden Holtby grabbed a 31-save shutout and Alex Ovechkin scored his 493rd career goal in a 2-0 victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
With that, the Capitals are now on an impressive eight-game winning streak.
Ovechkin’s goal ended up being the game-winner, but Holtby continued to be the brightest star for the Caps. He secured his shutout with a stop against Kane being arguably the biggest highlight:
EKane on Holtby sv: "Usually when I get it up over his pad it goes in but he made a great save. I haven't been robbed like that in a while."
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) December 29, 2015
By just about any standard, Holtby’s been outstanding.
.@Holts170 (@washcaps) earned his NHL-leading 23rd win of 2015-16 (2 SO), incl. a 15-0-1 record in his last 17 GP. pic.twitter.com/9Ygu94qey4
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 29, 2015
It seems like a 7-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 21 may have been the springboard for Washington. Since then, the Capitals have gone 14-1-1.
The Dallas Stars hold the overall NHL standings lead with 57 points, yet the Caps are nipping at their heels with 56 points and two games in hand. Maybe most importantly, Washington is far ahead of any other team in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference in general.
After weathering a tough schedule, the Capitals showed that some rough stuff won’t deter them tonight: