The first indication that something wasn’t right arrived on Thursday, when 15 players took to the ice for an optional skate and Braden Holtby wasn’t among them. A week earlier, Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz had lauded the goaltender’s work ethic, crediting his refusal to take days off and his stubbornness when Trotz attempted to grant them.
Then the Capitals made the curious move of recalling Philipp Grubauer, their top goaltender in Hershey, the morning his minor-league team was scheduled to play the first of two crucial games in a divisional playoff race.