The Capitals aren’t worried about Braden Holtby bouncing back

The crushing way the Capitals lost in Game 5 would be enough to test the psyche of anyone. With Game 6 on the way tomorrow night in Washington, it wouldn’t be outrageous to be worried about how rookie goalie Braden Holtby would hold up.

Turns out, no one else in his locker room is too nervous about him. Caps coach Dale Hunter says Holtby is “a resilient kid and a battler” and adding he’ll battle again as well. NHL.com’s Dave Lozo hears it from Karl Alzner about how they’ll do their part as a team to make sure his spirits stay up.

“Just reminding him that he’s playing great,” Alzner said. “There’s nothing really that he can do otherwise. It’s just him continuing to do what he does and we do a better job of burying our chances and keeping them away from the net as much as possible.”

Without Holtby the Caps are likely dead in the water in the playoffs and making sure he stays in a good frame of mind is key. He’s been hard-headed throughout the playoffs, however, and seems unflappable. Washington hopes that will still be the case tomorrow night.