Holtby called up after Theodore gets hurt
It was not the best time for a goalie injury. But besides two standings points, that is exactly what the Caps took away from Tuesday night’s 7-2 blowout win at the New York Islanders when Jose Theodore left the game after the second period with a lower-body injury.
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It is unknown how long Theodore will be out, though he was not at the team’s morning skate before last night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. In response, Washington recalled goalie Braden Holtby, 20, from AHL affiliate Hershey.
Michal Neuvirth, 21, was expected to start last night against the Ducks. But with a heavy dose of games upcoming, Holtby will have to play if Theodore is unable to recover quickly. The Caps have begun a stretch of 11 games in 19 days before the NHL breaks for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Rookie goalie Semyon Varlamov did skate at Kettler Iceplex on Wednesday morning for the first time in 10 days. But the 21-year-old still has a ways to go before he returns from knee and groin injuries, including at least a rehabilitation game or two in Hershey. Varlamov has been out since Dec. 7.
Fortunately for the Caps and general manager George McPhee, the organization has top goalie prospects falling out of its pockets. The 6-foot, 209-pound Holtby has a 15-2-1 record with the Bears since a recall from ECHL South Carolina. He leads the entire AHL with a 1.82 goals-against average and has a .935 save percentage — good for third best. Holtby was chosen in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau has never been afraid to throw rookie goalies into a game during a call-up. He did so last year with both Varlamov and Neuvirth. Holtby has yet to play in an NHL game, but he was the backup on Oct. 17 when the Caps played Nashville at Verizon Center.
Before the Anaheim game, the Caps also sent defenseman Karl Alzner back to Hershey. That move came as defenseman Brian Pothier was set to return from an upper-body injury. He had missed the previous six. It is the third time Alzner has been returned to Hershey this season.
