Takeaways: Lindgren Powers Capitals Past Hurricanes As DC Returns To Top Of East

WASHINGTON — It was slow to kick things off between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. Then Charlie Lindgren showed off some gymnastics, and from there, the game turned in D.C.'s favor.

That save and the standout play from Charlie Lindgren, who all the while was battling an illness through 60 minutes, lifted Washington a huge 3-1 win.

Here are all the takeaways from the victory as D.C. remains undefeated following back-to-back losses this year and returns to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Charlie Lindgren Dazzles For Win With Save Of Year, Defense Comes Up Big

As Washington rediscovered its offense, Charlie Lindgren put on an absolute clinic between the pipes despite feeling under the weather.

The 31-year-old, who has insisted that he's not the most flexible in the league, was pulling out all the stops — literally — to shut down the Hurricanes' top threats.

Lindgren's best save of the game — and the entire season, league-wide — came in the second period, when he went cartwheeled to rob Tyson Jost with the glove.

His stop ignited Washington, who started to control the game from that point forward and got two more goals to close out the period and add to its comfortable lead.

Lindgren finished the game with 26 saves on 27 shots for a .963 save percentage and made several other key stops along the way.

The play in front of Lindgren was stronger, too, with players putting their bodies on the line to block shots, clearing pucks out of the front and boxing out Carolina's top threats.

Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael Continue Impressive Runs

Though recent games haven't been easy with the offense struggling to maintain consistency, Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael added to what's been impressive seasons with strong showings against Carolina.

Protas deflected home Andrew Mangiapane's shot in the closing seconds of the opening frame to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. It marked his 12th goal of the season and fifth point in his last six games, and he is now on pace for 69 points. Beyond the stats, he was noticeable all night long, getting his stick on pucks, going hard on the forecheck and serving as a screen in front.

Then, with time dwindling down in the second, McMichael fired home a shot from the slot for his team-leading 16th goal of the season. He's on pace for 41 goals on the year, along with 72 points.

Both would've had assists in the third period on a John Carlson goal off a picture-perfect passing play, but it was waved off due to goaltender interference. It's the fourth time Carlson had a goal called back for that reason this season.

Jakub Vrana & Hendrix Lapierre Team Up For Important Goal

The third line's been struggling of late as it continues to remain a question mark for Washington, and with Lars Eller battling illness through the holiday break, that trio was tasked with producing and helping fill that void.

They delivered, as Jakub Vrana scored his fifth goal of the season and first since Nov. 17 after sniping a quick shot past Pyotr Kochetkov. Hendrix Lapierre got the assist, a much-needed confidence boost amid recent struggles in his game, while he also did a solid job filling in at pivot.

Their futures remain a question mark with Alex Ovechkin on the mend and the team needing to make roster decisions to open space when he eventually returns, and a strong showing during the holiday roster freeze is sure to be a big help.

Top Shelf Takes

- Andrew Mangiapane now has points in back-to-back games.

- Pierre-Luc Dubois picked up an assist on Connor McMichael's goal, and he now has points in six of his last seven outings overall. He's on pace for 61 points.