The Washington Capitals are back in action on this fine Thursday night when they host the St. Louis Blues for the second and final meeting in the regular season between the two teams. The Caps defeated the Blues 8-1 on Nov. 9 in St. Louis. It still stands as Washington's largest margin of victory this season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network as well as 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.
The betting odds for tonight's game per Caesars have the Capitals as 1.5 goal favorites on home ice with -165 moneyline odds. The Blues are the underdog at +140 with an over/under of 5.5 goals. Here are the top 3 key players to watch tonight.
#3 Charlie Lindgren
Charlie Lindgren was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate meaning he will get the nod tonight in goal. On Feb. 23 in a win over the Edmonton Oilers, Lindgren stopped 22 of 25 shots faced to earn his 13th win of the season. It also marked Lindgren's 51st win as a Capital. Lindgren is one win shy of tying Ilya Samsonov (52) for the 10th most wins in franchise history.
In 26 games this season, Lindgren has posted a record of 13-9-3 with a 2.64 goals against average, a .901 save percentage and one shutout. Lindgren has a record of 3-1-1 since returning from injury on Jan. 23. In that contest at the Seattle Kraken, Lindgren stopped all 22 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season.
Lindgren recorded six shutouts last season which ranked tied for first in the NHL. His seven shutouts since joining the Capitals are tied with Michal Neuvirth and Pete Peeters for the sixth most in franchise history. Tonight he gets the nod against his former team where he played in just five games but went undefeated in those five with a 1.22 goals against average and a .958 save percentage. He made his Blues debut on Dec. 7, 2021 and became the first goaltender in their franchise history to earn wins in each of their first five appearances.