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Washington Capitals: Top 5 expectations for opening week

By Michael Marzzacco

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs for fans on the Rock the Red Carpet prior to the start of a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Tom Wilson #43 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs for fans on the Rock the Red Carpet prior to the start of a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 07: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals signs autographs for fans on the Rock the Red Carpet prior to the start of a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#1 Braden Holtby’s time to shine

It’s all eyes on the Holtbeast this season. Braden Holtby enters the last year of his contract and his most important season to date. Holtby is expected to get the nod for opening night while likely starting in net for one of the next two contests after that since they’re a back-to-back this weekend.

I see Holtby starting the home opener on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes while either Pheonix Copley or Ilya Samsonov gets the nod on Friday night in New York.

Holtby will look for a much better season than the last two years, and these defensive upgrades over the offseason should make life a little bit easier in front of the net. That’s not to say the Caps won’t still be counting on Holtby to pull them out of games whenever the offense is struggling.

Last season Holtby finished 32-19-5 with a 2.82 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Holtby will look to win at least 40 games to return to his Vezina-winning form and it all starts Wednesday night when he goes up against Vladimir Tarasenko and the defending Stanley Cup champions.

One thing is certain, he doesn’t want that expiring contract to be a distraction to the team. Doubt it will with this being an all-in season.

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