Written by Isabelle Khurshudyan at Washington Post.com
On a night Braden Holtby could have etched his name into the record books, he instead stood in front of reporters and expressed remorse. His tone was typically level, but after his teammates had talked so openly about how much they wanted to win for him, the words stung.
“I made a mistake, and it changed the momentum,” Holtby said.
A win would’ve been Holtby’s 48th of the season, moving him into a tie with Martin Brodeur for the single-season NHL record for a goaltender. History will have to wait, because the Washington Capitals lost to the New York Islanders, 4-3, in overtime Tuesday night after squandering a two-goal lead in the third period.
Christopher Gibson got the win instead, earning his first NHL victory in his first big league start when Thomas Hickey scored 2 minutes 13 seconds into overtime. Gibson made 29 saves, and Holtby finished with 23. A loss like this one for the team with the league’s best third-period goal differential was stunning. For Holtby, the late-game collapse started with his error on the Islanders’ second goal.
With Washington ahead 3-1, a puck bounced off the end boards in the Capitals’ zone and toward Holtby, who failed to keep it behind the goal line. It got past him and to a wide-open Kyle Okposo in front of the net. Okposo swatted it in to get New York within a goal of the lead with 11:20 left in regulation.
“I just missed it somehow,” Holtby said. “I don’t know. I haven’t even seen it yet. Just one of those plays I got caught in between covering it or putting it in the corner. When you’re in between decisions, it never ends up well. Learn from it. It’s unfortunate because it was a turning point in the game, and I take responsibility for that. I’ll be better about that next time.”
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