The Washington Capitals are making a change in net after Logan Thompson started 10 games in a row.
Head coach Spencer Carbery announced that Charlie Lindgren will get the nod against the New York Rangers on Sunday night. The Capitals are playing the back half of a back-to-back against the Rangers after Thompson helped them down the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
“Same lineup, Chuckie Lindgren will go in net,” Carbery said pregame.
Lindgren has not made a start for the Capitals since they beat the Sabres on the road on March 12. He made 29 saves in that 2-1 victory, moving his season record to 9-7-3 with a 3.29 goals-against average, a .886 save percentage, and one shutout.
The 32-year-old backstop has been successful against the Rangers in his career, going 5-1 with a 1.49 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage, and two shutouts. He has already beaten them twice this season, including a 35-save shutout on October 12.
Projected Capitals lineup for 4/5 game against Rangers
With Carbery announcing no other changes, the team’s healthy scratches will again be David Kampf, Timothy Liljegren, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Dylan McIlrath, and Declan Chisholm.
The Rangers, although last in the Eastern Conference, have played better of late, winning four of their last five games. They will also be playing the back half of a back-to-back after beating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-1, on Saturday.
Washington will need a win to keep pace in the race for a playoff spot in the conference, with teams just ahead of them in the standings, like the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators, also playing on Sunday. The Detroit Red Wings lost 5-4 in regulation to the Minnesota Wild earlier in the day, so the Capitals could leap over them with a win.
