Montreal Canadiens fans remember goaltender Charlie Lindgren’s rollercoaster performances quite well, but he seems to have found himself at home with the Washington Capitals this season.
The 29-year-old athlete has been carrying his backpack around professional ice hockey for several years and often commutes between the National League (NHL) and the American League. However, the former Laval Rocket player is well entrenched in the United States capital, where he helped his team climb the table after a slow start. He also recorded his fifth win of the 2023-2024 season on Wednesday by stopping 38 shots in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
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“It takes every single player. In a game like tonight you can’t really have passengers. It’s just a big win for our guys.”
Charlie Lindgren speaks to the media after his 38-save performance tonight against Los Angeles.#CapsKings pic.twitter.com/Nw4YMGickW
– Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 30, 2023
“I’m obviously feeling very good,” the main character told The Washington Post. I play with a lot of confidence. I said it after every game: It starts in training. As [l’instructeur des gardiens] Scotty Murray reminds me that everything is done in the shadows. It is reflected in your habits. We did a very good job.”
Better than Kümper
So far, Lindgren is performing better at the net than his teammate Darcy Kuemper. He maintained a 5-2-0 record, a goals-against average of 2.30 and a save percentage of .934. Kuemper, for his part, has some issues, as evidenced by his 4-4-2 record, 2.95 average and .894 percentage. However, claiming that he can aspire to No. 1 goalie status in the Bettman scene is a bit bold.
Since he wasn’t drafted into the NHL, he played a career-high 31 games last year. It should be remembered that he only has 67 games under his belt since his debut in 2015-2016. And during that time, the regular position holder is completing the second campaign of a five-year, $26.25 million contract.
On the other hand, Lindgren has the merit of fighting to stay in the NHL and not letting himself be defeated. For example, he was able to bounce back on Wednesday after giving up five times on 35 shots in his previous game on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.
“In every game he played this season he gave us the chance to win. “We can’t say enough good things about Chuckie’s outstanding play right now,” said forward Connor McMichael. We just try to give a good performance for him.”
The Capitals visit the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
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