ARLINGTON, Va. — Patric Hornqvist and Braden Holtby should learn plenty about each other over the next two weeks, although the Capitals goaltender doesn’t anticipate it turning into a nasty battle, only an intense one.
“He plays hard,” Holtby said of Hornqvist following Washington’s morning skate at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.
“I respect that. He doesn’t cheap shot you or try to slew foot you. He goes to the net, the hard areas, and you battle through it. Leave it up to the refs if they think it’s fair or not. You just focus on stopping the puck.