Capitals hope for more consistency at goaltending originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The biggest question mark heading into the 2021-22 season for the Capitals was the goaltending. The team returned its tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek after a decent 2021 season, but neither was really able to lay claim to the starting role. Now 37 games into the season and once again, neither has cemented himself as the starter.
At the start of the season, head coach Peter Laviolette leaned on Vanecek, giving him three of the team’s first four starts. The pendulum swung in Samsonov’s favor in November when Samsonov recorded three shutouts in four starts including consecutive games against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 17 and San Jose Sharks on Nov. 20.
Overall, however, both netminders have looked inconsistent.
“There’s been games where they’ve been really good and games where you’re just looking for a little bit more consistency,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’re young…