Capitals coach Spencer Carbery didn’t have an update on Thompson’s status when asked about him Saturday, but Lindgren and Clay Stevenson, here as Washington’s third goalie, were the two netminders on the ice for the optional practice.
“It’ll be next man up for us and we know ‘Chucky’ Lindgren,” Carbery said. “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.”
Lindgren isn’t your typical backup.
He appeared in 39 games in the regular season, starting 38. He went 20-14-3 with a 2.73 goals-against average, an .896 save percentage and one shutout.
Thompson won the No. 1 job in the second half of the season, but Lindgren had a major impact on Washington (51-22-9) finishing first in the Eastern Conference with 111 points.
Last season, Lindgren was arguably the biggest reason the Capitals qualified for the playoffs.
He went 25-16-7 with a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage in 50 games, including 48 starts. Washington made the playoffs as the second wild card from the East despite a minus-37 goal differential.
Lindgren started all four playoff games against the New York Rangers. The Capitals got swept and he allowed 14 goals on 103 shots (3.58 GAA, .864 save percentage), but it was his first NHL playoff experience.
“Charlie has proven it to all of us in here over the last two years, three years that he’s very capable of handling himself in the playoffs, in the regular season,” Strome said. “He’s a great goalie. Like ‘Ovi’ (Alex Ovechkin) said last night, we’ve got two really good goalies and I think it would be business as usual (if Lindgren starts), but we’ll see what happens.”
Lindgren said getting into Game 3, even for only the final 6:37 of the third, will benefit him if he starts Game 4.
It was arguably the loudest building he’s ever played in, and the expectation is it will be that way again, if not even louder, Sunday.
“You want to know what you’re getting into and coming to Montreal you had a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get, and they didn’t disappoint,” Lindgren said. “Just getting the feel, getting the taste — any time you play playoff hockey, the level is going to be ratcheted up a few gears. You can certainly feel that. Last year, I got a taste playing at Madison Square Garden, what that was like. The Bell Centre is probably another level to that.”
He said he will also be able to pull from his experience playing in the playoffs against the Rangers last season to help him if he plays Sunday. He cited the pace of play and the hostile environment as the two biggest elements of his experience that will help him.
“It’s a really cool situation or place to be in,” Lindgren said. “I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
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