Charlie Lindgren

Charlie Lindgren grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota, and went undrafted before eventually reaching the NHL — a path that led him through the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues before landing with the Washington Capitals, where he wears number 79. InGoal Magazine has covered Charlie Lindgren in three podcast appearances and twelve Pro Reads.

The 6'2", 190-pound right-catching goaltender appeared in a career-high 50 games for Washington in the 2023-24 regular season, then added four more in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When the World Championships followed, Lindgren made time after getting back to Minnesota to sit down with InGoal for both a podcast and an extended video session. His debut in the Pro Reads format came against a New York Rangers power play, with Lindgren explaining the reads and mechanics that shaped the save ^[1].

Those sessions — now spanning eleven entries — have become a consistent part of InGoal's coverage, with Lindgren working through a range of scenarios: power plays against Boston, Tampa Bay, Colorado and Detroit; rush chances against Pittsburgh and Colorado; a 3-on-2 and a 6-on-5 late situation against the Rangers; a dangerous turnover in front of his own net against New York; and a 2-on-1 that became a 2-on-0 ^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]}.

Across those sessions, Lindgren has discussed in detail how he approaches depth management, backwards momentum, zone scanning, and stance width. On the importance of looking off the puck during a power play, he said: "I want to be putting myself in the best position possible and a lot of that's going to start with reading what's going on and where everyone is" ^[1]. On his narrow stance, he has described it as providing patience: "I find that when I'm in that sort of stance, where my feet are under me, it gives me more patience. It gives me more time" ^[2].

On a 2-on-1 that became a 2-on-0, Lindgren credited a combination of backwards flow and reading the shooter: "I got a little bit of that backwards flow. He pulls it around this d-man but I have a great read on what Giroux is doing, where he's going. Just the patience. It would have been so easy to just start panicking" ^[2]. That emphasis on backwards momentum appears repeatedly in his breakdowns. "It's sometimes easy to get flat footed but I set myself up with a little drift and I am able to make that push and have that patience because of that drift," he said when discussing a save at Madison Square Garden ^[5].

Lindgren has also discussed the evolution of specific technical elements in his game. On the Reverse-VH, he explained: "Scotty Murray and I kind of went to work on the Reverse this year and it made a big difference because it's a position you are in a few times a game at least and if you are comfortable in that spot, in that position, which I maybe beforehand wasn't as comfortable as I was this year, and it made a big difference. I'm 30 years old but I am always still learning and working and just trying to figure out how to be the best goalie that I can be" ^[11]. He has also referenced working with Capitals goalie coach Scott Murray on scanning and positioning habits ^[7].

Beyond mechanics, Lindgren has talked openly about managing the mental side of the position. Breaking down a save made while trailing 3-0, he said: "We don't end up winning this hockey game but I battled hard throughout this game and I think that shows and proves to your teammates that you are going to give it everything you got ... every goalie can work hard and battle, I don't care if you are 10 years old or 30 years old" ^[9]. He voiced a similar theme on a breakaway save late in a season where Washington and Pittsburgh were competing directly for positioning: "It's a good confidence save and that's my first save of the game" ^[4].

He also submitted what InGoal described as an entry for NHL Save of the Season — a "butter-stack" windmill glove stop — and followed it with an additional notable save, described by InGoal as a head-first Superman dive glove stop to prevent an empty-net goal after he had already begun heading to the bench for an extra attacker ^[7][8].

Through 170 NHL regular-season games, Lindgren carries a career record of 82 wins, 61 losses, and 18 overtime losses, with a 2.87 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and 10 shutouts over 9,764:25 minutes of ice time. After the 2024-25 season — his most recent full campaign with Washington — he signed a three-year contract extension with the Capitals ^[2][3][4]. In 2025-26, he has appeared in 21 games, posting a 9-8-3 record, a 3.52 goals-against average, and one shutout through 1,246:02 minutes.

His three podcast appearances on InGoal Radio span from 2020 — when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens ^[13] — through 2022 ^[14] and most recently in Episode 260 in June 2024 ^[15], which formed the basis for several of the Pro Reads sessions that followed.