Silbsy's Corner: Lock In Lindgren, 'Strovillier' Reunites Amid Lineup Changes, Dubois Injury, Caps Sweep Back-To-Back

Here's what to know from the Washington Capitals' back-to-back sweep up in New York this weekend.

The Washington Capitals couldn’t have asked for a better first road trip to open the season.

After a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, the Capitals made one final stop in Manhattan, looking to keep the momentum going against the New York Rangers.

That they did, and a lot of it was thanks to their goaltender.

Under the bright lights at Madison Square Garden, it was the Charlie Lindgren show from the moment the puck dropped.

Lindgren was dialed in on Sunday, flashing the glove, moving confidently in the crease and making complicated saves look easy. He finished the night with 35 saves for his 10th career shutout, including a highlight-reel glove save on Mika Zibanejad off a 2-on-1 with Artemi Panarin.

“I thought he was the best player. I think if he wasn’t there, I don’t think we would’ve walked out of here with two points,” Anthony Beauvillier said.

The 31-year-old was quick, though, to credit his teammates.

“It’s the first game, you always kind of wonder how it’s going to go. You want to feel the first couple pucks, but credit to the guys in front of me,” Lindgren said, adding, “I got to see a lot of pucks… love the job my guys did.”

Washington also saw some changes to the lineup, with Hendrix Lapierre and Trevor van Riemsdyk sitting out as healthy scratches. Connor McMichael took his spot on the third line while Sonny Milano drew into the mix, and Declan Chisholm also made his Capitals debut, recording an assist and fitting in well in what marked his 100th career NHL game.

Over the course of the game, coach Spencer Carbery further tweaked the lines, moving Beauvillier back up to work with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. The “Strovillier” line worked like a charm, and immediately connected for a goal as Beauvillier tipped home a feed from Ovechkin.

While the Capitals went home happy after collecting all four points on their small trip up north, they are waiting on some injury news, as Pierre-Luc Dubois left the game early with an undisclosed ailment. He’ll be reevaluated as the team returns to D.C., and there will be an additional update following the team’s day off.

Here are some other notes from the road trip:

• Ovechkin is still looking for his first goal of the season, but was getting looks. He has assists in back-to-back games. He played just 14:47 minutes.

• Nic Dowd led the way with five hits, while Brandon Duhaime had four, and both led an impressive penalty kill that went 2-for-2 and rebounded following a shaky showing over the first two games of the year.

• Tom Wilson came in clutch with a huge block at the end of the game to secure the win, and Martin Fehervary led the way with four blocks. A lot of credit also goes to Rasmus Sandin, who played a solid game on the backend.

• Sonny Milano played 10:07 minutes and had a shot in his first regular-season game since Nov. 6, 2024.