Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson will continue to alternate early season starts in goal for the Capitals.
The Washington Capitals alternated starting between their goaltender duo after two games of the season.
The team’s future number one starter from 2023–24, Charlie Lindgren, played in the Capitals’ home opener against the New
Jersey Devils, while Logan Thompson, who was acquired in a trade during the summer, helped the team defeat the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night to earn their first victory of the season.
Nothing seems to be assured for The Outlaw this season, even if Lindgren’s performance from the previous season got him the start in Game 1.
Head coach Spencer Carbery stated on Wednesday, “We’re just going to play it by ear and try to get both guys as involved as possible, especially early in the season.” “Get them both to play.” We’ll just keep trying to incorporate them going ahead, but I don’t think there will be a clear strategy that alternates.
Over the past three years, Lindgren and Thompson’s NHL travels have been comparable. With Lindgren playing in 50 of Washington’s games and Thompson in 46 of Vegas’s, neither goalkeeper was able to secure a real starting position until the previous season.
Halfway through the season, Lindgren replaced Darcy Kuemper as the starting goalie. He recorded a 25-16-7 record, a 2.67 goals-against average, and a.911 save percentage. Adin Hill was the team’s main goalie throughout their successful 2023 Stanley Cup run, but Thompson overtook Hill for the bulk of Vegas’ starts.
Thompson had an outstanding debut for the team on Tuesday night. In addition to earning the squad’s first victory of the season, he defeated the team from which he had asked for a trade months earlier.
After the game, Carbery remarked, “[Thompson’s game was] phenomenal, especially when it got to 4-2.” “He stepped up big time, but we need to correct those two pretty big mistakes from that faceoff, the o-zone faceoff, because we got a little helter-skelter.”
Carbery’s suggestion that he will continue to start both goalies to start the season is consistent with the possible strategy that Brian MacLellan laid out when he originally selected Thompson from Vegas in the 2024 NHL Draft.
At the time, MacLellan stated, “It could be [a 1a/1b situation].” Charlie has merited his place here. We’ll figure things out from there, hopefully, if we have a competitive scenario in net.
The two goalies still have a lot to show in crucial seasons for their league futures, even if they both made breakthroughs the previous season. After this season, none of them has a contract. Thompson is earning $767k, which is less than the league minimum, while Lindgren is still receiving the $1.1 million backup contract he agreed to in 2022.
On Thursday, Washington will play the Dallas Stars. It will be the final game of the season’s opening three-game homestand. Then, on Saturday, they will go to New Jersey to play the Devils again.
