Photo: Amanda Bowen

The pregamer’s prediction was wrong. Braden Holtby will make his 23rd consecutive appearance tonight at Philadelphia, his 17th consecutive start. Wayne Stephenson played 22 straight for the Caps in 1979 – 1980.

Holtby has saved 93.78 percent of 5-on-5 shots since November 29th and 92.5 percent in all situations. He’s collected 11 wins in that span.

This announcement comes per your boy Adam Vingan:

Braden Holtby v, Philadelphia, his franchise record-setting 23rd straight appearance. #Caps

— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) January 8, 2015

There’s also some contract news on the Holtby beat.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN quoted Holtby, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season:

“Yes, I want some security. I love the city, I love the group here,” Holtby told ESPN.com this week while the Caps were in Toronto. “It’s a great place. It’s very underrated. Not many people (in hockey) think of Washington as a great place to go when you’re from out West. But it’s phenomenal. My family loves it. I would never want to leave.”

I bolded the part I like.

As for the backup goalie, who hasn’t seen action since November 29th, when he allowed 3 goals on 11 shots, he’s headed to the Bears.

Justin Peters will join Hershey in Albany tomorrow for his conditioning loan, Trotz said. Playing twice this weekend: Friday and Sunday.

— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) January 8, 2015

Trotz said Caps will get through Peters' loan (roster spot needs to stay open) before "activating [Volpatti] or whatever we need to do."

— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) January 8, 2015

That sound you hear is Don Fishman tapping on his TI-83.

Update: An important clarification from Mike Vogel. This is Holtby’s 17th straight start, his 23rd straight appearance.

Update 2: This is classic.

Trotz on analytics on G's in B2B's: "Everyone throws them toward me. There's a place for analytics; there's also a place for eyeball test."

— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) January 8, 2015

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Flyers