ARLINGTON, VA — For the second time in two years, the Washington Capitals have two goaltenders fighting for the net. Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson have split their starts over the first few weeks of the season, alternating roles each game.
That strategy has proved successful so far for the Caps, who have gotten off to a hot start with a 5-2-0 record in their first seven games. Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters on Monday that he was happy to continue running the tandem, especially if they continued to find success.
I like playing two guys because I think it’s good internal competition,” he said. “I think it keeps them both fresh. So if they’re both playing well, they’re both going to play.
“I’m not going to commit at any point to saying, ‘Hey, this is the way it’s going to go.’ We’ll continue to evaluate the position and play, but I’m not going to sit here and tell you, ‘It’s going to go this way and that way, and if Logan has two good starts he’s going to—’ we’ll just play it by ear and continue to try to put ourselves in the best position possible in that position. And both guys have been solid thus far this year, so we haven’t felt — like the way the rotation has worked out. We’ll see if it continues to evolve that way.”
Lindgren is no stranger to fighting for his starts. After starting the 2023-24 campaign as the backup, Lindgren put up a season-saving performance to beat out Darcy Kuemper for the starting role. He posted a 25-16-7 record that year with a .911 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average as he helped propel the Capitals back into the playoffs.
Thompson, meanwhile, came to Washington looking for a fresh start. He made a splash in his rookie season with the Vegas Golden Knights, even making the All-Star Game in 2023, but struggled to secure a full-time starting spot and ultimately asked for a trade before joining the Capitals this summer.
Carbery previously indicated he wanted to see Lindgren and Thompson each get regular starts to kick off the 2024-25 season.
“We’re just going to play it by ear and try to get both guys as involved as possible, especially early in the season,” he said after the team’s first two games. “Get them both playing. I don’t think there’s going to be a set plan alternating, but we’ll just continue to try to get them involved moving forward.”
So far, Thompson has remained undefeated this fall while Lindgren holds a record of 2-2-0, but much of that disparity lays on the shoulders of the Capitals’ skaters. The pair have posted fairly similar stats in their first few starts, though the small sample sizes can only say so much.
| Goaltender | Games played | Save Percentage | Goals against average | Goals saved above expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Lindgren | 4 | .895 | 2.52 | -0.1 |
| Logan Thompson | 3 | .884 | 3.28 | -1.9 |
Both goaltenders are set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, giving them even more to prove as they try to establish themselves in net.
Thompson, who is expected to start on Tuesday, will get an excellent chance to prove himself when the Capitals face off against the New York Rangers for the first time since a first-round playoff sweep ended their season this spring. With a 6-1-1 record, New York has remained dominant to start the 2024-25 campaign and leads the Eastern Conference in points percentage (.813).
