Sibling rivalry takes center stage as the Capitals face the Rangers.

WASHINGTON — The last time Charlie Lindgren and his brother, Ryan, faced each other in a game, neither had quite cracked the big leagues full time, with both playing for their respective clubs' AHL affiliates. Ryan came out on top in that one, but Charlie is ready for his rematch — this time, at the NHL level — as he will start for the Washington Capitals on Saturday against Ryan's New York Rangers.

The spotlight is on the brothers, who are roughly five years apart, but for the Capitals, there's a deeper meaning behind Lindgren's start.

Head coach Spencer Carbery explained that starting Lindgren against the Rangers was a decision that implies that Lindgren has taken the reigns as a No. 1 goaltending option, as he gets the bigger game of the back-to-back with Darcy Kuemper starting on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I just think he's played well for us throughout. He's earned the opportunity to play tonight, Saturday night against the Rangers, a top team in the league," Carbery said. "That was the decision process, nothing to do with the brother stuff. When I heard that, I was kind of surprised that he hadn't played against (Ryan) before. But a good opportunity against one of the elite teams in the league."

Lindgren is having a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign, boasting a .924 save percentage through nine games. He has a .822 save percentage on high-danger shots, and his .946 save percentage from mid-range ranks in the 88th percentile league-wide. Per MoneyPuck, he is also tied for seventh in the league in goals saved above expected (9).

The Lindgrens had dinner last night, with Charlie making a homemade meal to welcome Ryan to D.C. All bets will be off, though, when they face each other, as Charlie doesn't want No. 55 on the stat sheet at all.

"If he scored on me, that would probably be the death of me, I think. That's not a joke, that would torment me," he said, via NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.