The Capitals will be without Charlie Lindgren for at least the next week. The team announced that they have placed the goaltender on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next seven days. Taking his place on the roster is netminder Hunter Shepard who was recalled from AHL Hershey.
Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury in the second period of Friday’s game against Montreal. Brandon Duhaime pushed Nick Suzuki into the goalie, causing Suzuki to hit Lindgren’s head. He stayed in the game momentarily but was eventually pulled with Logan Thompson taking over.
Lindgren signed with Washington as a backup goalie in 2022 but had a breakout showing last season, posting a 2.67 GAA, a .911 SV%, and a league-best six shutouts in 50 games. With Thompson in the fold, Lindgren isn’t playing as much this season but has a 2.65 GAA and a .900 SV% in his first 21 starts, a decent start to his contract year as a pending unrestricted free agent.
As for Shepard, the 29-year-old made four starts for Washington last season in his first taste of NHL action. He had a stellar showing in the minors last season, putting up a 1.76 GAA along with a .929 SV% in 34 games, winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender. However, things haven’t gone as well in the first half of this year as Shepard has posted a 2.68 GAA and a .898 SV% in 23 contests with the Bears. He’ll serve as Thompson’s backup while Lindgren is out.