Between Two Posts: Unpacking Lindgren's Jordan Game & A Very Important Win For The Capitals Over The Hurricanes

After losing two in a row on the road, the Washington Capitals returned home on Friday with a tall task: batten down the hatches against the Carolina Hurricanes and avoid the first major losing streak of the season.

Historically speaking, these two teams have matched up well, and made for some fun hockey.

Anyone looking for that was not disappointed, as the Capitals made the most of their chances and got a sensational performance from a sick Charlie Lindgren en route to a 3-1 victory.

There are some storylines in this one to unpack, so let's get into it.

Old Rivals Evenly Matched

Ever since the NHL restructured into its current divisional alignment, the Capitals and Hurricanes have been perennially battling closely to be the top dogs in the Metropolitan division (a name I still dislike 11 years later).

Heck, if you check out the advanced numbers, each team roughly figures to win 50 percent of the time according to their simulations, and that's because both teams battled hard for the two points at stake.

Stat lines still tilt towards the Hurricanes on this one, as they outshot the Capitals 25-22, generated more high-danger scoring chances (13-6) and finished with a Corsi-for percentage of 60.49 to Washington’s 37.19.

Obviously, the Capitals finished better where it matters most at the end of the night, but Friday was a case of D.C. taking advantage of the chances that they were given, outworking the Canes when able and counting on the brick wall in the crease to hold down the fort.

Washington cleaned up a lot of their defensive mistakes from the last two games as well and generally played with a lot more energy last night. The Hurricanes have a ton of skill on their team, and this one was going to require a workmanlike effort by the Capitals’ defensive corps to come out with the win.

And thankfully, everyone rose to the challenge.

Charlie Lindgren's A Beast — Even Under The Weather

I don’t know about any of you, but when I’m sick, the last thing I feel like doing is playing hockey. I guess that’s why these guys are the pros.

Last night, Charlie Lindgren looked locked in and played arguably his best of the season, all while apparently puking his guts out between periods.

The 31-year-old stopped 24 of 25 shots, including that save (which we’ll come back to), only getting beat by Seth Jarvis on the stick-side midway through the third period.

Overall, Lindgren looked poised and focused throughout the night, including making some very key saves on the penalty kill (which Washington killed all three penalties they faced last night as well).

Giving credit where it’s due, Pyotr Kochetkov also played a sensational game in his own end, but it was Lindgren who would steal the show.

Of course, the biggest of his 26 stops was the one that would make Dominik Hasek proud.

Not much else to say about that one. That’s the kind of save that gets a team going and a crowd on its feet, and that was the case as the ice tilted in Washington's favor from that point on after a bit of low-event hockey to kick things off.

Capital Gains

Looking at the offensive side of the play, the Capitals took what opportunities they were given and made sure to capitalize on them.

Aliaksei Protas tipped in his 12th of the season on a beautiful deflection from the shaft of his stick.

If you’re not a hockey nut, you may think that type of play is by accident. But believe me, that was entirely intentional; it's all about getting to the net front and using your size to your advantage.

Then, in the second period, Jakub Vrana got a much-needed goal for his struggling third line, snapping home his fifth of the season while powering towards the net.

In the final minute of the frame, Connor McMichael (Mc)sniped another McNugget minute beauty by Kochetkov to make it 3-0 for the Capitals, with Protas again providing the screen in front.

Overall, the Capitals' offense played an excellent game, and it was promising to see the team's scoring depth step up amid recent inconsistency.

They would have made it 4-1 at one point in the third from John Carlson, a goal which was called back from goaltender interference (his fourth goal called back for that reason that season). which I will say just baffled me a bit.

Two More Before The Holiday

This is the kind of game that should have rejuvenated Washington, as it will finish their busy stretch with one more back-to-back. The Los Angeles Kings will visit on Sunday, and then, the Capitals will hit the road on Monday to take on the Boston Bruins..

Los Angeles is an interesting team to watch right now; the Kings currently sit three points behind Vegas for first in the Pacific Division, and have been playing some very good hockey as of late, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. With Darcy Kuemper now between the pipes, they have also allowed the fewest goals in the league with 81 goals against.