Charlie Lindgren was seated among the fanbase at Bell Centre, the usual setting for backup goaltenders, taking in a raucous Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens as he saw Logan Thompson go down in visible pain.
Lindgren relieved Thompson, the team's unanimous first star to open these 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, for the final minutes of regulation on Friday, and now, he's the brand new starting goaltender for the series going into a telling Game 4.
Then, in an instant, he traded his baseball cap for his helmet; it was showtime.
"I felt bad for Logan... that was a bummer to see," Lindgren said. "I hadn't played at the Bell Centre since I essentially left. Obviously, it's quite the place... tough to see Logan go down."
Losing Thompson certainly isn't ideal for Washington; he's a major reason why D.C. holds a 2-1 series lead, as he stepped up with big stops and a .917 save percentage through the first two games of the series.
However, Lindgren is ready to show what he can do, and he knows he's capable of doing what Thompson's done so far: shining on the biggest stage.
"You get a chance to go in the net, you want to go out and do your job," Lindgren said.
Lindgren is no stranger to pressure. After all, it was the 31-year-old who'd dragged the Capitals into the fight to close out last season, sneaking the team into the 2024 postseason when they didn't have much business being there in the first place.
While his numbers haven't told the same story this season, with a .896 save percentage through 39 games, Lindgren has still come up with big saves to bail his team out, and has shown that he can be a difference maker.
And coming into his second taste of playoff action against his former team in Montreal, he'll be hungry to get back to his style of play that made headlines last season.
"I don’t care who you’re playing against, you’re gonna get up for it. It’s always exciting, it’s always fun to be a part of... Just getting a taste yesterday, a little bit feeling that environment, it was important. You wanna know what you’re getting into," Lindgren said, adding, "Anytime you get to play playoff hockey, the level’s gonna be ratcheted up a few gears, and you can certainly feel that.”
The Minnesota native is expected to start Game 4 as Thompson continues to be evaluated, and Washington has all the faith in the world in its No. 2 netminder.
"It'll be next man up for us, and we know Chucky Lindgren. He's done a great job, he's a great goaltender," coach Spencer Carbery said. "There's no concern there of our group having a letdown or our staff having a lack of confidence. We got two great guys."
‘They’re both great goaltenders. They both compete really hard in the net and do it in different ways, they both have a flair for making big save at big moments and come playoff time, that’s really important," Trevor van Riemsdyk added. "Not only making the ones you should, but coming up with big ones... Logan and Chuck have done it all year. No matter who’s in net, we have confidence in both of them.”
As for Lindgren, he's ready to take control of the crease, and for him, it's a big opportunity to get back in the driver's seat.
“I always feel ready. Like you said, I’ve kept on every day, I’ve kept on working to get to moments like this, to potentially play in moments like this," Lindgren said. "You think about 10-year-old Charlie, what he’d do to be in a situation like this. So I mean, it’s a really cool situation or place to be in, and definitely don’t take it for granted.”