WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals have announced that starting netminder Braden Holtby is too ill to play in Game 2 of their playoff series against the New York Islanders on Friday night and will be replaced by 23-year-old rookie Philipp Grubauer.
Caps coach Barry Trotz and other players, including backup netminder Justin Peters, told reporters Friday morning that they believed Holtby, who has felt under the weather since Game 1 Wednesday night and has not skated since, would nonetheless be able to play.
"Just felt the best chance for us is get him through warm-up and go from there," Trotz said Friday morning.
But Holtby's condition did not improve, and so the Capitals, trailing 1-0 in their best-of-seven series after losing 4-1 on Wednesday, will turn to Grubauer, a native of Rosenheim, Germany, who was called up from the Capitals' AHL affiliate in Hershey.
Holtby tied team records with 73 starts, 41 wins and nine shutouts this season. Grubauer has never played in an NHL playoff game. He played once for the Capitals this season, a 3-2 shootout victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 6.
Grubauer, who the Capitals said is the first German-born goalie to start an NHL playoff game, is 7-6-5 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in his 20-game NHL career. He is the seventh rookie to start a playoff game for Washington.
Holtby's status is listed as day to day.
Washington forward Tom Wilson was in the lineup Friday after being sidelined since early April, when he was hit in the face by a puck during a game.
The Capitals also announced Friday that they signed forward Riley Barber to a three-year, entry-level contract that takes effect next season. Barber was a sixth-round draft pick in 2012 and played college hockey at Miami (Ohio) the past three seasons.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.