The NHL announced on Monday that Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren has been named the league’s first star of the week.
While starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been out due to an upper-body injury, the 28-year-old led the NHL in wins (four) and saves (111). He posted a .949 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average to help Washington climb just one point of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference despite missing four regulars in Kuemper, center Nicklas Backstrom, right-wing Tom Wilson, and defenseman Martin Fehervary due to injury. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov returned from a 15-game injury absence against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
This save will may not make all the highlights for this game but Charlie Lindgren with a game saver on McDavid pic.twitter.com/i8TtRAJSFQ
— Mike Kosciesza (@mikekosciesza) November 8, 2022
Lindgren is 6-3-2 with a .910 save percentage and 2.79 goals-against average in 12 games this season.
He stopped 28 shots, including all 11 he faced in the third period, in a 3-2 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers Dec. 5. Lindgren then yielded one goal in each of his next two starts, making 29 saves in a 4-1 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers Dec. 7 and 25 stops in a 4-1 win versus the Seattle Kraken Dec. 9. He finished the week with 29 saves in a 5-2 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets Dec. 11.
The locker room showing some love for the NHL’s First Star of the Week#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/pcpAiLWMDA
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 12, 2022
By Harrison Brown