Braden Holtby was mind-blowingly sensational against the Flyers, giving up only five goals in six first-round games (more on that later). But after the Caps won the series, all Holtby could do was praise Michal Neuvirth.
When talking to NBCSN’s Joe Micheletti, Holtby was asked if anything in this series surprised him.
“No, not really,” Holtby said before naming some things that surprised him. “We were probably a little surprised to be up 3-0. [The Flyers] were playing some pretty good hockey too. We know they’re a very good hockey team. It was a testament when Neuvy came in and played as good as you could conceivably play. We still stuck with it and found a way to win.”
Neuvirth stopped 103 of 105 shots in Games Four through Six after serving as Steve Mason’s back-up in the first three games.
During the handshake line, Holtby shook his head in disbelief as he got to Neuvy. The former teammates chatted briefly before patting each other on the shoulder.
Holtby and Neuvirth won the 2009-10 Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears (Neuvy started) and spent parts of three seasons together in Washington.
What a moment.
Holtby on Backstrom's goal: "Nick made a pretty perfect shot and we knew it was going to take a perfect shot to beat Neuvy."
— Katie Brown (@katiebhockey) April 24, 2016
