The Capitals got a strong showing from Lindgren, but a slow start proved costly in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers.
After a tight 3-2 win over the New York Rangers just 24 hours earlier, the Washington Capitals knew that Sunday's game wouldn't be easy. And they felt that early on, and though they cleaned things up as time went on, their comeback fell short.
Washington got a lone goal from T.J. Oshie and a show from Charlie Lindgren, but the Capitals couldn't get the job done in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat.
Capitals Struggle To Start, Find Footing Too Late
Washington didn't start off on the right foot, and it wasn't just because Artemi Panarin scored 10 minutes in. The Capitals weren't able to match that tight defensive style early on and they also failed to get a lot going offensively to start, leading to a 2-0 deficit going into the final 40 minutes of play.
However, Washington was able to pick things up in the second half, as the Capitals started to tighten up and get more to the interior. Washington's offense was able to generate more pressure and sustain more zone time, and the team appeared to be stronger in puck battles.
It led to Washington pulling to 2-1 late in the second and tilting the ice a bit more in their favor going into the third. However, numerous penalties took significant time on the clock and the final push came too little, too late — though D.C. put up quite a fight.
Oshie Stays Hot On New Top Line, Dowd & Kuznetsov Put Together
With Alex Ovechkin out for the second straight game, head coach Spencer Carbery ran back the same lineup.
He struck gold with a new-look top line of Max Pacioretty-Dylan Strome-T.J. Oshie, which came up big again in the
The top trio was swarming and skating effectively, opening space and getting a number of high-quality looks. Oshie got to the front and bunted a puck past Igor Shesterkin to get his team on the board and make it a 2-1 game.
Oshie now has goals in three of his last four games and points in four of the last five overall. Meanwhile, Max Pacioretty has points in three of his last four games after returning from a re-torn Achilles, while Dylan Strome also picked up another assist.
Carbery did make some tweaks to the lines mid-game, putting Nic Dowd and Evgeny Kuznetsov together on the third line with Tom Wilson and putting Hendrix Lapierre between Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Ethan Bear and Nick Jensen were also separated later in the game.
Lindgren Puts On A Show For Capitals, Solidifying Starting Role
Washington made a bold decision going into Sunday, electing to give Charlie Lindgren both games of the home-and-home against a top Metropolitan opponent with the team one point out of Wild Card territory. He did not disappoint.
The big reason that the Capitals had the chance they did and was still in the game until the bitter end was Lindgren, who again stood on his head in his first NHL back-to-back series.
The 30-year-old recovered quickly after Panarin's game-opening goal on the first shot, putting on a show with a big glove hand, quick pads and strong lateral movement to shut down New York's stars. He ended the night with 29 saves on 31 shots.
This outing — and pretty much one sequence in particular, where he made eight saves on the end of a 5-on-3 and lengthy penalty kill — all but solidifies his role as the new starter going forward. Lindgren has earned it, and he did what he could to give D.C. a chance.
Among all NHL goaltenders with at least 900 minutes of ice time, Lindgren ranks first in save percentage (.929) this season and has the second-best total league-wide behind only Adin Hill, who has played two games less than No. 79.
Penalty Kill Comes Up Huge
The Capitals found themselves in a strange situation on Sunday, becoming all too familiar with the penalty box through 60 minutes.
Washington took a whopping five penalties, including four against Alexis Lafreniere in particular, and managed to kill each one off against the second-best man advantage in the league.
Lindgren is owed a lot of credit, of course, as he stopped all 12 shots against on the man advantage, but credit goes to the penalty killers as well, who came together for some big blocks and clears. Nick Jensen and Trevor van Riemsdyk each had three blocks, and Nic Dowd, Beck Malenstyn, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson also stepped up in front to shut down New York at 5-on4 and 5-on-3.