The sight of Braden Holtby charging out of his net clearly flustered Mitch Marner.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie busting out of the penalty box and in all alone, the Washington Capitals goaltender made a split-second decision to abandon his crease and slide to knock the puck away from Marner.
“Not exactly an ideal play in that situation, but it worked out,” Holtby said.
Two nights later, Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson didn’t wait for Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand to take a shot, diving out of his crease to poke the puck away. Anderson remembered what Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bower told him back in juniors about how he played back in his day.
“The first time he ever came out sliding into a guy he was nervous, and I was nervous,” Anderson said. “I’m just glad it worked out.”
Taking a risk and being aggressive paid off for Holtby and Anderson as they made a couple of unconventional saves in big situations during this first round of the playoffs. Two of the top goaltenders during the regular season, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild, have struggled at times. Holtby and Anderson showed that taking a calculated chance can be the right move.
“They have to make those quick decisions,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said Thursday. “A puck like that, (Holtby) has to process if he can get to that puck. If he’s not even close, then that’s an easy tap-in when the guy goes around him. I think that’s where exceptional goaltenders, they can process so quickly.”