Lindgren: Razor sharp in a big Windy City win

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks boast plenty of firepower, but they simply couldn't find a way to solve Charlie Lindgren on Sunday night.

The 23-year-old turned aside 38 shots in a 2-0 win over Joel Quenneville's squad at the United Center, earning his first career shutout in the process.
In just his fourth career NHL start, Lindgren continued to prove that he can more than hold his own at hockey's highest level.
Needless to say, the young netminder enjoyed every second of his first Windy City experience, which culminated in the Canadiens' first victory in Chicago since February 27, 2002.
"Obviously, you hear about the United Center, the atmosphere and the crowd, and it definitely didn't disappoint. From the anthem to the whole game, it was really incredible. It was obviously a very fun spot to get my first shutout," said Lindgren, who was recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket on Friday when Carey Price went down with a minor lower-body injury. "As a goalie, when you get in that zone, it's like no matter what nothing is going to go into the net. I definitely got in that mode right from the drop of the puck. I felt really solid out there."

And, his teammates fed off his stellar work, according to captain Max Pacioretty.
"It was a very strong win and it all started with Lindy. I can think of that save in the first period, the backdoor save [on Jonathan Toews] and two or three in the second. When he's making saves like that, when we see that, it helped us put our foot on the gas," explained Pacioretty, following the Canadiens' second victory in as many nights, which enabled them to close out their three-game road trip with four out of a possible six points in the bank. "He played phenomenal and it trickled down throughout the lineup."
Blackhawks starter Corey Crawford was equally strong at the other end, but Jonathan Drouin and Joe Morrow both managed to solve the two-time Stanley Cup champion during the third period. It was Morrow's first goal in a Habs uniform.

Like Pacioretty, though, Drouin insisted that Lindgren was the real difference-maker in the road trip finale.
"He was impressive, especially for his first game of the season [with the Canadiens]. That isn't just any team offensively on the other side, it's a team with talent that knows how to put the puck in the net. He made big saves, even at the end," praised Drouin, who snapped an eight-game goal drought in the win. "He had to make big saves to keep them from scoring."
Now, another big week awaits at home with three games in six days as the Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres all come to town.
No doubt the Canadiens are hoping that the momentum gained from their last two outings will continue to yield positive results in the friendly confines of the Bell Centre.
"It helps our confidence. It helps our chemistry of knowing what we can do when we all work hard and do our job. That's important," said Pacioretty. "I think moving forward we're trying to get better as a group and build that chemistry. Tonight's a good feeling, but the last few games we've won for a reason, we've played a certain way, and we have to maintain that."