How Charlie Lindgren emerged to help lift the Capitals to the Stanley Cup

There was no expectation that Lindgren would come to Washington to be anything other than Kuemper’s backup. And last season, that’s how it went. Kuemper started 56 games to Lindgren’s 26 and led the Capitals’ goalie tandem in every statistical category.

In his first full season in the NHL, Lindgren established himself as a serviceable backup to his veteran partner with a Cup-winning pedigree. In his second full season in the NHL, Lindgren took things to another level.

“He’s been arguably our MVP,” Coach Spencer Carbery said Tuesday after Lindgren backstopped the Capitals in two must-win games to get them into the playoffs. “He’s been fantastic all year.”

When Washington takes the ice Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 against the New York Rangers, there’s no question about which goaltender is expected to lead the Capitals out of the tunnel. It should be the unflappable No. 79, mustache peeking out from under his mask, who gets the nod between the pipes — after being, in large part, the reason Washington even gets to take the ice for a playoff game.

Lindgren played 50 games this season for the Capitals, more appearances than he has made since 2017-18, when he played 14 games for the Montreal Canadiens and 37 for Laval of the American Hockey League. After splitting time with Kuemper early in the season, Lindgren emerged as the go-to starter by the midway point. At times, his performance was the only thing keeping Washington afloat in the playoff race.

Lindgren’s six shutouts tied for the NHL lead, and his .911 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average improved markedly on his statistics from last season (.899 and 3.05).

“I’ve had a blast,” Lindgren, 30, said this past week. “I’ve dreamed about this for 20 years, legitimately. And just to have the chance to play a lot of games and just the faith that this team has put in me, I appreciate it greatly. I’ve had an absolute blast this whole season.”

Lindgren did not take a linear path to being an NHL regular. He played three seasons at St. Cloud State and signed with the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He made his NHL debut that spring, but other than the 14 games he played for Montreal in 2017-18, he never saw more than six games of NHL action in a season during his five years with the organization.

“I remember all the guys in Montreal just being like, ‘Wait until you see this guy play; he’s so good,’ ” said former Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner, who played with Lindgren on Laval from 2018 to 2020….