When the Washington Capitals acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Buffalo Sabres at the NHL trade deadline, they hoped that he would provide the team with the same type of quality, high pressure goaltending that he provided against them in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and would help the team nail down one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. It hasn’t quite worked out, as the Capitals have slid down the standings in recent weeks, and currently find themselves on the outside looking in on the playoff chase. In fact as they head to St. Louis today to take on the Blues, a loss would mathematically eliminate them from the playoffs. Thus the game is the very definition of must-win.
Looking at the Caps use of Halak, since he arrived, he has started virtually every big game for the team. Thus it was a bit of a surprise when Adam Oates stated that Braden Holtby would get the start tonight in St. Louis. Oates explained his decision via Capitals beat writer Katie Carerra of the Washington Post.
Oates said Halak told coaches he wasn’t completely comfortable facing Blues for the first time since the trade, so they’re going with Holtby
— Katie Carrera (@kcarrera) April 8, 2014
This feeling of being uncomfortable must have hit Halak recently, as last week he told CSN Washington that he was was looking forward to facing his old club — “I played there four years, I know these guys,” he said. “Obviously, I’m looking forward to going back there,”
If the reports of Halak asking Oates to not start him tonight are true, this could be bad news for the Slovakian goaltender. The most important thing a goalie can do is step up and perform at his best when the pressure is highest. Being mentally tough and putting aside distractions is key. If Halak is unable to do that, he’s just given a signal to any general manager who might consider signing him in free agency this summer, that he might not be the guy they want.
After all, this certainly isn’t the type of big-game, high pressure goaltending the Capitals thought they were trading for at the deadline.
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