Logan Thompson raised eyebrows when he made his way onto the ice at the Bell Centre for the Capitals’ morning skate on Sunday.
Thompson was removed from the team’s 6-3 loss to the Canadiens in Game 3 after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome left him unable to put weight on his left leg. The 28-year-old backstop did not participate in Saturday’s optional practice, and head coach Spencer Carbery did not provide an update, positive or negative, on his status afterwards.
Per the radio voice of the Capitals, John Walton, Thompson took the starter’s net at Sunday’s skate. However, Thompson departed the ice at the same exact time as Charlie Lindgren, making it unclear who will lead the team out onto the ice for Game 4. The unplanned simultaneous departure even caught their head coach by surprise.
“Did they do that?” Carbery asked the Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. “Well-coached players. I always tell you, our team is very coachable.”
Carbery added that both Thompson and forward Aliaksei Protas will see how they’re feeling later today regarding dressing for Game 4. Protas has missed all three games of the series, recovering from a skate-cut injury he suffered on April 4.
“[Thompson] is a big part of our team,” Carbery said. “He’s been great in the series – was happy that it wasn’t anything significant that would keep him out for an extended period of time. So, that was positive to see.”
Thompson allowed five goals on 35 shots in the 53:23 that he played against the Canadiens in Game 3 before being removed from the crease. Lindgren replaced him for the final 6:37 of regulation, and the Habs added one more goal on their last five shots of the contest.
Even before the collision that ultimately ended his night, Thompson did not look entirely comfortable in net. He appeared to stretch out his neck after making several saves earlier in the game in just his third start since returning from an upper-body injury. He sat out the final seven games of the regular season after suffering the injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2.
Thompson has arguably been the Capitals’ best player against the Canadiens. Per MoneyPuck, he has saved 2.7 more goals than expected, which ranks fourth among playoff starters coming into Sunday’s games.
The Canadiens also saw their netminder, Sam Montembeault, leave Game 3 with an injury, being replaced by Jakub Dobes for the final 28:21 of their win. Montreal announced they recalled goaltender Cayden Primeau from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Sunday morning.
Game 4 is set for a 6:30 pm puck drop.
