Braden Holtby turned toward the net and closed his eyes. At this moment, he was pictured above on the Verizon Center video board. He took a deep breath, kissed the back of his mask twice and then fastened it on. He swiveled around to take his place in the crease.
Holtby believes in routine: coffee before the game, a scripted series of movements during the National Anthem, emptying a Gatorade bottle of water on his hair before covering it with his mask. This start wasn’t treated any differently, but he was well aware of the significance. Holtby’s name had been tied to Martin Brodeur and the single-season wins record for weeks, and that only intensified as this start neared.