Charlie Lindgren staked his claim to Save of the Year against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
With Carolina barreling down on a three-on-one rush in Washington’s zone, Tyson Jost caught a cross-ice pass and sent a quick shot at what appeared to be the Capitals’ yawning net.
Instead of a gimme goal, Jost was stopped by Lindgren in incredible fashion.
“Jost fires… LOOK AT LINDGREN,” Joe Beninati screamed. “A cartwheel glove save!”
Capitals fans gave Lindgren a standing ovation, and chants of “Chuckie” and “Charlie” rang around Capital One Arena.
After a further stoppage in play, Lindgren’s goal song, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith, was played over the loudspeakers.
Per the NHL’s shot data, the Jost try was a 28-foot snapshot worth just 0.058 of an expected goal. Everyone with eyes could see it was so much more than that.
Lindgren’s heroics were also well-timed. Early in the second, Washington held a 1-0 lead, and Carolina was controlling the majority of the play. After the save, the Capitals turned the tables on the Hurricanes and added two more goals to their lead, heading into the second intermission up 3-0.
Lindgren’s start on Friday night is his 16th of the season. He came into the game with a 9-6 record, a 2.69 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage.
