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The Charlie Lindgren game: Caps beat Golden Knights 3-0

By Peter Hassett

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November 14, 2023 9:43 pm

The Washington Capitals got dominated by the Vegas Golden Knights for a solid sixty minutes and no one cares because: scoreboard.

Dylan Strome roofed a shot to give Washington a 1-0 lead in the first. The Caps held on dearly and desperately to that lead. Vegas looked like the best team in the league, because they are, but Charlie Lindgren had them solved the whole time. Connor McMichael added an empty-netter, then Beck Malenstyn got one as well.

Caps win!

  • Dylan McIlrath got a surprise sweater. He played 4:20 in six shifts through two periods. His biggest highlight was when he fought a guy. That fight fizzled Washington’s three-on-two breakaway rush, so it was a loss no matter who punched better. (McIlrath punched better.)
  • On the marginal defender front, check out this fantastic breakup from Lucas Johansen.

  • Vegas’ Paul Cotter got ejected for a high hit on Evgeny Kuznetsov, which meant Washington had to writhe its moribund husk around on the power play for five minutes. I checked, and it looks like the Capitals generated expected goals on the power play better than 30 teams, and now I don’t believe in expected goals anymore. I don’t believe in math. I don’t believe in facts. I watched the Capitals leak essential bodily fluids for five minutes, and the best scoring chance belonged to William Karlsson.
  • The Caps have not scored a power-play goal in their last seven games. October 27 against the Wild. That’s the last time they had a power-play goal. 2023.
  • Kuznetsov was fine by the way.

  • It felt to me at some point in the second period that Washington was losing every 50-50 puck battle they got into. This was a deeply frustrating game, and it made me feel ungrateful, since Washington had the lead pretty much the whole time.
  • That lead was owed to Dylan Strome, who already has seven goals this season.
  • The headline photo for this story is the on-ice crew fixing a hole in the ice so big I think you’re supposed to call it a crevasse. Montgomery Wick’s wife died in that crevasse, which is a trenchant reference if you’re really into the 2020 Chris O’Donnell movie Vertical Limit.

What a silly game. But holy hell, Charlie Lindgren. He had two real good starts leading up to tonight, and he blew them both away. A hard-earned shutout for Charlie. You know what? I’m gonna call him Charles. I respect him too much for Charlie. Legendary game, Charles.

Oh my god, the Capitals have three days off again? This schedule is buckwild. See you Saturday for the Jackets.

Headline photo: Sal from Crashers

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