Lindgren at the Caps Red Carpet event before the game. (Caps Outsider)
Backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren knew Thursday night that he would be between the pipes for Friday’s Caps home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite the 4-0 loss, he still made 31 saves.
“I honestly thought he was really good,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “We put him in a tough spot. He wasn’t slated to play today. Just didn’t help him.”
Starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper had a good excuse to be away: His wife was having a baby. And he was apparently thinking about Lindgren.
“I got a really good goalie partner that was keeping me in the loop. He let me know yesterday evening that most likely I was going to be in the pipes. Credit to him, too, it says how good of a teammate he is. He’s got a baby coming, his first baby, and he’s thinking about me. Super happy for the Kuempers. He’s got a great wife. I’m really happy that they’re starting to build their family.”
The Caps brought up Clay Stevenson to serve as backup, and sent down Alexei Protas to make room on the roster for that move.
Lindgren added that he was excited to play for a different reason.
“When I found out I was playing, obviously I was excited. I grew up watching this rivalry between Pittsburgh and Washington, going to NHL.com, seeing Alexander the Great vs. Sid the Kid. Being able to be a part of that game, the home opener. I thought the fans were excellent tonight, right from the get go, they definitely had our Backs tonight, and I appreciate that too.”
