Getting the start on Tuesday night against the Wild, Holtby is one win shy of reaching 40 wins for the third consecutive season — which would make him just the third goaltender in NHL history to accomplish that feat. Joining him in that exclusive club are Martin Brodeur (2005-08) and Evgeni Nabokov (2007-10).
“It shows consistency, I guess,†Holtby said. “I don’t know. It’s just one of those goals that you set at the start of the year and try to get there.â€
Holtby would become the sixth goaltender in NHL history to post three career 40-win seasons, joining Brodeur (8), Miikka Kiprusoff (3), Nabokov (3), Jacques Plante (3) and Terry Sawchuk (3). Holtby’s 39 wins this season are the fourth-most in Capitals history and he has now posted three of the top four winningest seasons by a Washington goaltender.
Holtby leads the NHL in shutouts (8) this season, ranks second in goals against average (2.01) and wins (39) and tied for second in save percentage (.927), likely to be a Vezina Trophy finalist again. His best seasons have come under Coach Barry Trotz, but Minnesota’s Bruce Boudreau, a former Capitals coach, saw the potential for this kind of consistency immediately.