Lars Eller speaks following the Capitals' 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens. The Washington Capitals will be without Charlie Lindgren for some time, as the netminder was placed on the injured reserve on Saturday while Hunter Shepard was recalled from the AHL's Hershey Bears. Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury in Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-captials-between-two-posts-montreal-canadiens-11125] after a collision with Nick Suzuki [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/news/washington-capitals-charlie-lindgren-leaves-game-montreal-canadiens-hit-head], who was pushed into the crease by Brandon Duhaime. Suzuki appeared to bump into Lindgren's head, sending the 31-year-old netminder down hard to the ice. Though shaken up, Lindgren stayed on for a bit longer before being pulled by athletic trainers for Logan Thompson. Lindgren, who stopped all nine shots against, did not return to the game. Going on the IR means Lindgren will miss at least the next seven days of action. In the meantime, Shepard will fill in as Thompson's backup and could very well start on Saturday against the Nashville Predators with Thompson having played the rest of the game against Montreal less than 24 hours ago. The 2024-25 season hasn't been the best for the back-to-back Calder Cup champion, who has put up a .898 save percentage through 23 games, down from the .929 save percentage he boasted last season. With Lindgren on the shelf, Washington's goaltending rotation comes to an end as Thompson will likely get the opportunity to start multiple games in a row. Through 22 games this season, he is 17-2-3 with a .917 save percentage. The Capitals face Nashville at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday before a day off on Sunday.
