Red-hot Stanley Cup Final goalies cool off

Goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals finally cooled off during Game 1 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final. The two allowed nine goals during Vegas’ exciting but sloppy 6-4 victory. Fleury is a leading candidate to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP; Holtby was coming off consecutive shutouts in Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. NBC analyst and former NHL goalie Brian Boucher, who set the modern-day record for longest shutout streak, said the goalies weren’t entirely to blame for the rash of goals. “They both could have been better, but at the same time nine goals against is not always an indication of how a goalie plays. A lot of pucks were coming off the boards and a lot of guys were left alone in front. From a goaltender’s perspective, it was a difficult game to get into a groove.”