Capitals, Holtby Pick Up Right Where They Left Off, Make Most Of Reunion In Dallas

It was a bittersweet reunion between the Washington Capitals and Braden Holtby, as Washington chased their former netminder from the net with five goals in a dominant victory. However, there were no hard feelings, and despite not being in Texas too long, the Capitals made the most of their time and used as much as they could to catch up with the netminder.

After being pulled in favor of Jake Oettinger to open the third period, Holtby took a seat by the Washington Capitals bench and used the third period to catch up with his old friends.

Alex Ovechkin and Holtby, who also shared a hug during warm-ups, chatted for a bit at the beginning of the period. Later in the frame, Nicklas Backstrom, who put up a goal and two helpers in his first time out against No. 70, headed over to Holtby’s side of the bench to chat with him. The two didn’t talk about hockey, though.

“We just talked about life, I think,” Backstrom told NBC Sports Washington postgame. “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 and we miss him. He’s great guy and obviously, tough night for him but, yeah I mean, we have to take it, too. We need these points, but he’s a hell of a guy.”

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After the game, the Capitals and Holtby got time to catch up outside of the visiting locker room as well, per The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. Tom Wilson, John Carlson, Nic Dowd and many others were among those spotted catching up with the 32-year-old goalie.

“It’s the people. Hockey’s obviously what we do, but there’s a lot outside of it. The relationships you make and the people that helped you in different ways, you’re kind of forever grateful for,” Holtby said. “Mitch Korn always told me, ‘It’s a game of people, not pucks…’ That’s where my family grew up, it’s home for me. It’s pretty special to see these people again and catch up.”

Holtby spent 10 years in the District, going 282-122-46 with a .916 save percentage and 2.53 GAA through 468 games. He was also integral in leading the Capitals to their first-ever Stanley Cup Championship.

“I hate to see that he had a tough night, but we all know what he’s done for our organization, for our club, for our fans,” Backstrom said postgame. “He’s a good friend of a lot of the guys of our team. I think everyone loves him.”