The Washington Capitals suffered a significant blow in Game 3, losing Logan Thompson to injury when he collided with Dylan Strome at the net. After leaving the ice in visible pain on Friday, Thompson did not participate in Saturday’s optional skate, and head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters he didn’t have an update on his injury or recovery time.
With Thompson’s status uncertain, the Capitals may need to rely on Charlie Lindgren when they take the ice in Game 4. Carbery, who leaned on Lindgren for much of the regular season, expressed full faith in his ability to step up if needed.
“It’ll be next man up for us,” Carbery said of the possibility. “And we know Chucky Lindgren, and he’s done a great job. He’s a great goaltender. So, yeah, there’s no concern there, of our group having a letdown or from our staff having a lack of confidence. We’ve got two great guys.”
The Capitals faced a similar position ahead of Game 1. After taking a puck to the mask on April 2, Thompson missed the final seven games of the regular season with an upper-body injury and was questionable to start the series, leaving Lindgren as the potential playoff starter.
Less than a week later, Lindgren is once again gearing up for the possibility of taking the net. Though he said it was “tough to see” his goaltending partner go down, he felt prepared for the chance to start in Game 4.
“I always feel ready,” he said. “Every day, I’ve kept on working to get to moments like this, to potentially playing moments like this. You think about 10-year-old Charlie, what he would do to be in a situation like this. It’s a really cool situation, place to be in. Definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Lindgren has played a variety of roles since joining the Capitals organization in 2022: he was the team’s backup in 2022-23 before a strong performance in 2023-24 saw him promoted to starter.
His efforts were largely responsible for the Capitals’ improbable run to the 2024 playoffs, and though the team ultimately fell to the New York Rangers in a sweep, Lindgren thinks that experience will help him this time around.
“I think I can take a lot from last year,” he said. “Just feeling what that was like, pace of play, environment-wise. We came into that series with nothing to lose against the Rangers, played against a really good hockey club. And again, playing in hostile environments where every game means so much. To be able to get a taste, yeah, I think it definitely helped.”
This season, Lindgren has primarily split time with Thompson in a tandem role. He has put up a record of 20-14-3, a .894 save percentage, and a 2.91 goals against average for in 39 games — a regression from his strong numbers the year before but still respectable, especially for someone who isn’t a full-time starter.
Trevor van Riemsdyk said Saturday that he didn’t feel much of a difference playing in front of either netminder.
“They’re both great goaltenders,” he said. “They both compete really hard in the net and do it in different ways. They both have a flair for making big saves at big moments.
“I think come playoff time, that’s really important, not only making the ones you should but coming up with big ones…It’s those timely saves. Logan and Chuck have done it all year. No matter who’s in the net, we have confidence in both of them.”
Alex Ovechkin put it more bluntly.
“Well, we have two goalies, so if something happens, we always have backup,” he said Friday night.
While the Capitals seemed to struggle with the raucous Bell Centre crowd in Game 3, Lindgren has more experience than nearly all of his teammates in the building, having played parts of five seasons with the Habs to start his career. He spoke earlier in the series about both the extra significance of playing against his former team and the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of playoff hockey in Montreal, saying the sport was “essentially like a religion up there.”
Lindgren noted Saturday that motivation was never an issue in the playoffs, but acknowledge that it would hold even more meaning to take the ice in his old barn.
“I definitely have a background with this organization, even though there’s been a lot of turnover since I left,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s playoff hockey. I don’t care who you’re playing against, you’re always going to get up for it.
“It’s always exciting. It’s always fun to be a part of. And obviously the building yesterday was kind of loud. It’s something I’ve known going back to my days in Montreal. They have a passionate fan base. If given the chance, it’d be awesome.”
Lindgren got a sample of the experience Friday night, playing the final 6:37 of Game 3 after Thompson went down the tunnel. Between that opportunity, his experience with the Canadiens, and last year’s playoff series against the Rangers, Lindgren knew what sort of challenge he might have to face.
“Just getting a taste yesterday, a little bit, feeling that environment, I think it is important. You want to know what you’re getting into. Coming to Montreal, you had a pretty good idea of what you were going to get, and they didn’t disappoint.
“And so just getting a feel, getting a taste. Any time you get to play playoff hockey, the level is going to be ratcheted up a few gears, and you can certainly feel that. Last year, I got a taste playing at Madison Square Garden, what that was like. Bell Centre is probably another level of that.”
