Charlie Lindgren gave the Tampa Bay Lightning the biggest gift any team could ask for on Wednesday night.
Lindgren was the netminder for the Washington Capitals in Florida on Thanksgiving Eve with the game tied at 3 in the third period.
Well, because of him, that was no longer the case.
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As a puck trickled into the Washington zone on the defensive side, Lindgren came out of the crease to play it. Lindgren was aiming to pass it to a teammate, but the net got in his way.
Instead of a pass, Lindgren backhanded the puck directly into his own net, giving the Lightning a 4-3 lead.
Thankfully for the Caps, the mind-boggling goal didn’t crush them too much as they wound up winning the game anyway.
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Roughly three minutes after the error, John Carlson tied the game with his third goal of the season. Then, with about five minutes left in regulation, the Caps went on the power play, and Tom Wilson scored what wound up being the game-winning goal.
Lindgren came into the contest with a 2.64 GAA. Unfortunately for him, that number went up with his own work.
Lindgren led the NHL in shutouts last year with six, finishing in eighth place in the Vezina voting in what was a career year.
He quickly found his groove after becoming a full-time starter, but the own-goal was certainly one he’d like to have back.
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