Massive game on Sunday evening in Columbus where the Blue Jackets will be hosting the Washington Capitals.
What is on the line?
How about two points in the race for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division as well as the battle for the best record in the league. The Capitals enter the game with a four-point lead in the standings and can take a stranglehold on the division and Presidents’ Trophy if they can pick up a win (especially in regulation). But if the Blue Jackets are able to take it they will cut that deficit down to two points while both teams would have four games to play over the next week, creating a wild finish down the stretch.
Along with owning the NHL’s two best records, these two teams also boast two of the best goalies in the league in Braden Holtby (Washington) and Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus).
As expected, both will be in net on Sunday evening.
It’s a goaltending matchup that features last year’s Vezina Trophy winner (Holtby) going up against the goalie that will probably be the front-runner to take it this year (Bobrovsky).
Both of them have already won the Vezina once in their careers and it is quite likely that one of them will it win again in 2017.
This season both goalies are in the top-five in wins, total save percentage, even-strength save percentage, goals against average and shutouts.
There isn’t a better head-to-head goalie matchup anywhere in the NHL right now.
Elsewhere on Sunday...
-- In the afternoon games it was Anton Khudobin against Corey Crawford in the Bruins-Blackhawks game, Jaroslav Halak vs. Robin Lehner in the Islanders-Sabres game, Jusse Saros vs Jake Allen in the Predators-Blues game, and Eddie Lack vs. Matt Murray in the Hurricanes-Penguins game.
-- It will be Peter Budaj trying to get two big points for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they host the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.
-- Calvin Pickard will go against Devan Dubnyk in Minnesota when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Wild.
-- Ryan Miller gets the call for the Vancouver Canucks when they host the San Jose Sharks. No word yet from the Sharks on their starter.
-- Steve Mason is back in the Philadelphia Flyers net when they visit Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers.
-- It will be Brian Elliott in net for the Calgary Flames when they host the Anaheim Ducks.
-- Jonathan Quick starts for the Los Angeles Kings when they host Mike Smith and the Arizona Coyotes.