Lindgren: A year of growth

LAVAL - At the rate Charlie Lindgren began his NHL career, insisting he might never lose a hockey game wasn't exactly far-fetched.

That's because he won his first five career starts and looked stellar in between the pipes along the way.
After posting victories in his first three contests - one in 2015-16 and two more in 2016-17 - Lindgren was called up last November after Carey Price suffered a lower-body injury. The young netminder kept his streak alive with a brilliant 38-save effort in Chicago to earn his first NHL shutout, before besting the Vegas Golden Knights two nights later for his fifth straight win.
"My favorite memory [this season] is probably at the United Center, playing against the Blackhawks and getting my first NHL shutout," recalled Lindgren, who became just the second Habs rookie to win his first five games after Ken Dryden first accomplished the feat in 1970-71. "That's tough to beat."

The streak would come to an end, however, against his hometown Minnesota Wild. Lindgren came back down to earth, so to speak, and lost four of his next five starts. Then, he was sent back down to the AHL's Laval Rocket in late November when Price returned.
"There was a lot of good, and a lot of frustrating parts as well. This year was all about managing my emotions," shared the 6-foot-1, 182-pound backstop. "Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. That's a credit to my support system - especially my goalie coach [in Laval], Marco Marciano."
In February, Lindgren was recalled for his second tour of duty with the big club after Price took a shot to the mask in a game against the Flyers. That wasn't long after the Lakeville, MN native signed a three-year, one-way contract extension with the Canadiens.

"[Signing the contract] is good, but at the same time, even when I signed it, I'm not satisfied because of that. I'm going to keep on working hard," said Lindgren, whose contract runs through the 2020-21 campaign. "Just because I signed a three-year contract, doesn't mean I'm given anything. I know I have to earn everything I have."
Lindgren did indeed work hard during his second stint in Montreal. He made 33 saves for his second career shutout at home against the Flyers before playing four games on the Habs' six-game, 12-day road trip in March. He then closed out his time with the Canadiens by turning aside a career-high 45 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Maple Leafs on March 17 in Toronto.
"That was a game [where] I left everything out there. There was a lot of rubber thrown my way. I was just coming off two or three games where I had given up 18 goals in three games or something," explained Lindgren, who posted a 4-8-2 record, along with a .908 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average this past season. "I know I needed to make a mark. I think [in] that game, I did everything I could to make that mark and prove the point that these guys can believe in me.

"Looking back on it, it gives me some confidence. That's a really good Maple Leafs team, and they were throwing a lot of shots at the net, a lot of good-quality shots. I hung in there. That gives me confidence going into the summer, going into the next training camp, where I know I can play at a high level. That's something I can definitely lean back on."
Speaking of his summer plans, Lindgren is currently representing the United States at the World Hockey Championship in Denmark - sharing goaltending duties with Scott Darling and Keith Kinkaid - and plans on spending most of his offseason after that back in the State of Hockey.
Training-wise, Lindgren will once again be partnering with fellow Minnesotans Brady Skjei, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, and Nick Bjugstad. He said he'll visit Montreal once or twice as well, trips which could serve as extra motivation to keep his summer workout regimen at the very highest level it can be.
"Absolutely. That's, without a doubt, my goal, is to be up in Montreal next year. I think I'm ready. Obviously, I'm going to work hard this summer and have a really good camp," he concluded. "If I come back here in Laval, I'm going to be positive about it, keep working hard, and do whatever it takes to get to that next level… I look forward to working hard and having a heck of a 2018-19 season."
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