The Washington Capitals headed to the Big Apple on Sunday to take on the Rangers. I’m sure if you call yourself a hockey fan, you’ve heard the saying “that goalie stole the game.” This is exactly what happened on Sunday courtesy of a man named Charlie Lindgren!
After a scoreless first period and excellent scoring work from both sides, the Capitals were able to get on the board.
A wide open Alex Ovechkin at the top of his office received a pass from the point that caused the D-man to take a small step forward as he had to anticipate an Ovi missile. Instead, Ovi swung the puck to Anthony Beauvillier, who had one of those puck deflections off the ice where you just have to tilt your cap, as Quick had zero chance of protecting the top part of the net, 1-0 Capitals. I have a strong feeling that Beau will have a breakout season this year, especially because of the effort he showed in the playoffs.
This was the only goal of the match, but as previously mentioned this was the Charlie Lindgren Show! Charlie posted a 35-save shutout against a solid Rangers team in his season debut. This was easily the saving grace of the season and we’re not even a week into it yet.
We also faced some former Caps Taylor Raddysh and Conor Sheary who saved what should have been an easy goal for Tom Wilson.
We also saw the Caps debut of Declan Chisholm, who had quite a night, filling in for TVR, who were out last night.
The Capitals offenses have been worrying so far and we can’t expect our goalkeepers to play like Lindgren every night, that’s just not sustainable. Last year this was a big problem. We start slow and hope we finish strong to win a match. Our power play is no longer dominant, but let’s hope the right combination of guys will have a positive impact.
The Caps had a relatively quiet offseason. We saw the addition of Justin Sourdif (forward), a 23 year old from the Panthers, he had 34 points in 43 games in the AHL. Declan Chisholm (Defense), who was acquired in the 6th round of the 2025 NHL Draft in a trade with Minnesota.
Guys to watch out for:
Ivan Miroshnichenko: He led Hershey in goals and 3rd in points last season, I expect him to get a lot more games on the show this year, he’s just too good not to get NHL time.
Andreas Kristal: Last season he was one of the last dropouts from training camp. He led the WHL in points with 132 and was 2nd in goals with 48. The 20-year-old will be a key player who could make his NHL debut at some point this season.
Ilya Protas: Aliasksei Protas’ brother had a breakout season in the OHL. The 6-5 198 mutant will be present when called for the show.
I’m excited to see these young guys take the next step this season, especially expecting a huge season from Ryan Leonard!
Boys released by the Capitals were: Andrew Mangiapane (Oil Squirts), Taylor Raddysh (Rangers), Lars Eller (Senators), Alexander Alexeyev (Penguins), TJ Oshie (retired).
Great win Sunday, but there will be a much bigger test on Tuesday when the boys take on Tampa Bay. Let’s make it a great season, baby!
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