In their game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals lost goaltender Charlie Lindgren to injury just 16 seconds into the second period.
Nick Suzuki collided with the former Canadiens netminder after Brandon Duhaime shoved the Habs forward toward the Capitals’ crease.
INJURY UPDATE: #Caps goaltender Charlie Lindgren sustained an upper body injury and will not return to tonight’s game.
— Capitals PR (@CapitalsPR) January 11, 2025
Lindgren was a perfect 9-for-9 in saves before being forced to the Capitals’ locker room. Washington announced early during the second intermission that Lindgren had suffered an upper-body injury and would not return.
Lindgren’s head and neck appeared to rattle around the net frame, and he was slow to get back up on his skates.
The 31-year-old Lindgren stuck around for another shift but was ultimately pulled out of the game and replaced by Logan Thompson. The mid-game goaltending switch was the first the Capitals were forced to make this season.
Coming into the game, Lindgren had a 10-8-2 record with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
Washington is set to fly to Nashville after the game against Montreal. The Capitals will play the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night. If Lindgren cannot travel, the Caps will need to recall Hunter Shepard or Clay Stevenson from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
The Bears are in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are playing a back-to-back against the Charlotte Checkers. Stevenson got the first start of the two games on Friday night. Any potential travel out of Charlotte may be treacherous, as the area is currently experiencing snow, sleet, and freezing rain.
