The Washington Capitals lit up former teammate Braden Holtby for five goals in two periods during his first start against them. With little to be decided in the third, Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness pulled Holtby in favor of Jake Oettinger.
At American Airlines Center, there’s a tunnel between the two benches that has glass partitioned doors. So Holtby sat in the tunnel, as close as possible to the Capitals bench, and caught up with his former friends.
Holtby and Ovechkin, who shared a viral laugh and a hug pregame, could be seen speaking together as the third period began.
Braden Holtby fan favorite and beloved in DC❤️️ pic.twitter.com/TsS8bNCPO4
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 29, 2022
As the final minutes wound down, Nicklas Backstrom took up a perch next to Braden and the two spoke for the rest of the game.
"He was a big part of our team for a long time, and we miss him. He's a great guy." 🥲
Backstrom caught up with Holtby during tonight's game pic.twitter.com/a99u7YGLB2
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 29, 2022
So what did the two talk about?
“We just talked about life, I think,” Backstrom said to NBC Sports Washington during their postgame show. “How his family was and he asked about mine. We actually didn’t talk about the game at all.
“He was a big part of our team for a long time. We miss him. He’s a great guy. Obviously, tough night for him, we really needed that one, but he’s a hell of a guy.”
Backstrom was one of the reasons why Holtby’s night went so poorly. The Swedish center had his biggest game since returning from rehabbing a hip injury, registering a goal and two assists in the Capitals’ 5-0 win.
Fif 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/2k4V6Jk1c9
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 29, 2022
Backstrom earned first star of the night honors.
#ALLCAPS 3 ⭐️'s of the game!
⭐️: @backstrom19
⭐️⭐️: @con91mcmichael
⭐️⭐️⭐️: @vitacz15 #CapsStars pic.twitter.com/I0srX6Xhtl— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 29, 2022
“I hate to see that he had a tough night,” Backstrom added of Holtby in the locker room. “We all know what he has done for our organization, for our club, and for our fans. He is a good friend of a lot of guys on the team. I think everyone loves him.”
Headline photo: Stephanie Williams
