Caps ‘Laugh Off’ Lundgren own goal, rally for win

Washington Capitals Goalkeeper Charlie Lindgren He was able to laugh at himself after committing what he called “the worst mistake” he’s ever made on the ice.

It helped that his teammates helped bail him out, leading the Capitals to a 5-4 victory on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay Lightning.

With the score tied at 3-3, Lundgren tried to play the puck behind him but inadvertently tipped it into his own net at 7:25 of the third period.

But the Capitals didn’t budge after Lindgren’s own goal put the Lightning in front, only to respond three minutes later when John Carlson 9:30 also pulled Washington.

Tom Wilson He then put the Capitals ahead, scoring a power play goal with 3:26 left in regulation to lead them to their sixth straight road win.

“At that moment you obviously have two choices: You can either go into your shell or you can go and fight,” Lindgren said. “It wasn’t fun in the moment, but the guys rallied around me and found a way to get a big win.”

Wednesday’s victory came despite leading Tampa Bay 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3.

Lundgren credited his teammates for using his goal gaffe to fuel his comeback instead of panicking.

“When I made that big mistake, we all laughed about it,” said Lindgren, who finished with 24 saves. “Even me, I took that puck out of the rink and I kind of laughed at myself. It was obviously the worst mistake I’ve ever made on the ice in my life. . I don’t know what I was thinking. … The guys picked me up and I got a lot of respect from those guys.”

The Capitals later had fun with Lindgren’s mistake in the locker room, awarding him the team’s gold chain that goes to player of the game.

This trip#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/s7nmKtsdOC

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 28, 2024

“If we weren’t a close team, we could have gotten frustrated and kind of packed it up and mailed it,” Lundgren said. “I knew there was no chance. This team, we’re great. We’ve got great guys in the locker room, and we found a way to get it done. It was a sweet victory, I’m not leaving. To lie.”

This report used information from The Associated Press.