4 Holtby The Save
In Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, it was a Braden Holtby save for the ages that turned the course of the whole series. Holtby would react to the save with pure instinct as he stretched back and lunged to his right with his stick thrusting the paddle into the four inch slot of air in which Alex Tuch's shot was heading for the net.
Holtby would tell Stephen Whyno of the AP, "Luckily it hit me."
While Holtby had a calm demeanor about him, his teammates and coaches on the bench weren't so calm. It gave the Caps their first ever Stanley Cup win. It would be the key of better things to come.
"To me, it was the hockey gods. They evened it up from the last game. Great save. You could see the emotion on our bench. Once he made that save, I knew we were going to win the game."Barry Trotz
Holtby would make 37 saves but he also got help from the form of an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his fist such goal on the big stage. Brooks Orpik would end a personal 220 game goal drought with the eventual winner while Lars Eller would add a goal and two assists.
"We refocus and pick each other up and that's a sign of a good team. That's one of our strengths.""Braden Holtby