The Washington Capitals appear to be prepared to have three goalies on their roster, at least for the start of their 2011 NHL Playoffs second-round series. The team has recalled goalie Braden Holtby from AHL affiliate Hershey, according to a press release.
Holtby appeared in 14 games for the Capitals this season and posted a sparking 10-2-2 record and a 1.79 goals-against average. There was even a vocal group that felt he deserved to be the starting goalie come playoff time. Michal Neuvirth has shattered that crowd with his strong performance against the Rangers, but with Hershey's season ending in the first round of the the 2011 Calder Cup playoffs, the Capitals wanted extra insurance in net.
Holtby will now compete with Semyon Varlamov to be the backup to Neuvirth in the next round. Of course, even with Neuvirth's sparkling performance against the Rangers, he is liable to be pulled any time with Bruce Boudreau as his coach.