Capitals' Braden Holtby: Starting in blue paint Friday

Holtby was the first man off the ice in morning skate Friday, indicating that he'll be the one to draw the home start against the Blackhawks in the evening's contest, JJ Regan of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Analysis:

The Caps won't dare disrupt Holtby's momentum, as he's secured four consecutive victories, including his skating away with wins at the expense of tough opponents like Columbus and Pittsburgh. Oh, and he's worked two shutouts since the calendar flipped to the new year. Chicago only ranks 12th in the league at 2.77 goals per game, but the team owns a plus-17 goal differential as the current leaders of the Western Conference. This will be yet another challenge for Holtby, but he's in another one of his grooves right now and you'd need another elite goalie on hand to justify benching him in leagues where you only start one netminder.