Capitals place Charlie Lindgren on injured reserve; Hunter Shepard recalled
The Washington Capitals announced Saturday that goaltender Charlie Lindgren has been placed on the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, netminder Hunter Shepard has been recalled from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Facing the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, Lindgren stopped all nine shots he faced but left early in the second period due to an upper-body ailment and did not return. Logan Thompson ultimately entered the contest in place of Lindgren, helping the Capitals pick up a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss.
Through 2024-25, Lindgren has made 21 appearances with Washington in which he has posted a 10-8-2 record alongside a .901 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average. The 31-year-old Minnesotan is in his third season with the Capitals and is coming off a career year that saw him reach 25 wins.
A veteran of 131 career contests, Lindgren has seen stops with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, and Capitals in which he has registered a 63-47-14 showing alongside a .908 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average.
A graduate of the NCAA’s St. Cloud State Huskies, Lindgren signed with the Canadiens in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. Now with the Capitals, Lindgren is in the final season of a three-year pact that carries a $1.1-million annual average value, per PuckPedia. Lindgren is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.
In Shepard, the 29-year-old product Cohasset, Minn., has made 23 appearances with the Bears this season in which he has found the win column 15 times coupled with an .898 save percentage and 2.68 goals-against average. Shepard made his NHL debut with the Capitals in 2023-24, going 2-1-1, underscored by his first career victory coming in a 6-4 decision versus the New Jersey Devils.
On the season, the Capitals stand atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-10-5 and 59 points. Following Friday’s overtime loss to the Canadiens, the Capitals will look to rebound Saturday versus the Nashville Predators.