The Washington Capitals are set for their annual Capsgiving game against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night. The Thanksgiving Eve matchup is one of two final home games before the Caps are on the road for four straight games, including three out west in California.
Charlie Lindgren will get his eighth start of the season against the Jets after backing up Logan Thompson on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lindgren’s last appearance came in relief of Thompson against the Tampa Bay Lightning last weekend, when he made nine saves on 10 shots in 38:50 of game time.
“I think that’s just the way that we mapped it out,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “We looked at this homestand before we head out to California, how we wanted it to play out. We just felt like LT going back and playing last game against Columbus after the Tampa game was important. So, thought this [one] for Chucky. So yeah, that’s what we went with.”
So far this season, Lindgren is 3-3-1 with a 3.14 goals-against average, a .889 save percentage, and one shutout. He won his last start against the Montreal Canadiens last week, making 24 saves on 28 shots faced in the Capitals’ 8-4 victory at the Bell Centre.
Lindgren has sparkling career numbers against the Jets in four career games, going 3-1-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average, a .947 save percentage, and one shutout. He only has a higher career save percentage against the Seattle Kraken (.962), New York Rangers (.957), and Los Angeles Kings (.948).
Outside of Lindgren’s start, the Capitals will have one other lineup change with Dylan McIlrath dressing in favor of Trevor van Riemsdyk and Declan Chisholm. McIlrath has played in just two games this season, with his last coming against the Canadiens last week.
“I thought [McIlrath] did a really good job [in Montreal],” Carbery said. “I think it was around 12 minutes. Thought he did exactly what he needed to do from a physicality presence in a hostile environment against a really difficult opponent, a team that we have a lot of history with. I felt like that part of his game, which is a staple, and then his ability to move pucks for us, defend well, I thought he did a pretty good job, so get him back into the lineup.”
Carbery also called veteran center Nic Dowd a game-time decision, but Dowd did stay out and take the scratches skate with the TVR and Chisholm. Dowd has missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.
Capitals projected lineup for 11/26 game against Jets
The Jets come to DC having lost two games in a row and without their MVP goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. The team announced last week that they were shutting Hellebuyck down for 4 to 6 weeks to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.
In two games against the Jets last season, the Capitals collected two standings points, losing in overtime twice.
