The Washington Capitals are bucking an NHL trend and sending goaltender Charlie Lindgren out for starts on back-to-back days. (He is The Outlaw after all. BANG BANG.)
The Caps will qualify for the playoffs and secure the second wild card spot in the East if they can eke out a victory against the Flyers.
Head coach Spencer Carbery revealed the decision during his pregame press conference before the Capitals take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.
“We came to the same conclusion that we have over the last four or five games when our season has been sort of on the brink,” Carbery told NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. “Chuckie has been arguably our Most Valuable Player. He’s the reason we’re in the spot we are or a large reason why we’re in this spot. So for us, and the way he’s played, he’s earned this opportunity to play in the last game of the season where our chips are in the middle of the table.”
Lindgren posted his NHL-leading sixth shutout of the season on Monday night against the Boston Bruins. The 30-year-old backstop was only called upon to make 16 total stops and only four apiece in the first and second periods.
CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CH CHUTOUT pic.twitter.com/AbFpjMFEex
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 16, 2024
The light workload, the importance of the game against Philadelphia, and Darcy Kuemper’s struggles this season were likely all factors in Carbery’s decision. Kuemper hasn’t won a start since the end of February.
“Playing games like this, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for 20 years, honestly,” Lindgren said Monday night. “Since I’ve been playing. [These are] the kind of games where 10-year-old me, thinking about playing in the NHL, in a playoff push — I’d have to pinch myself. So I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be playing for the Capitals and playing for D.C. Looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
Lindgren also started both games of a home-and-home, back-to-back against the New York Rangers in mid-January. Lindgren was phenomenal in the appearances as the Capitals’ went 1-1 against the President’s Trophy winners. The Caps won the first game at home 3-2 and dropped the second game in New York 2-1. Lindgren stopped 54 of 58 shots.
“Obviously, I played a lot of back-to-backs in college and played a lot of back-to-backs in the American League,” Lindgren said then. “So for me, it was nothing really new. Found out shortly after the game last night, so I was able to just kind of wrap my head around it and recover that night and get ready for what was a big test today.”
Against the Flyers this season, Lindgren is 1-1, winning his last start 5-2 against Philadelphia with 21 saves.
