Ryan Lindgren talks to his brother Charlie almost every day.
However, a mutual gag order is in place for this practice until further notice…Further notice concludes the Rangers’ Stanley Cup Playoff series opener against the Capitals, which begins Sunday afternoon at the Garden. It’s time.
Washington’s 30-year-old goaltender, Charlie Lindgren, has just won the Presidents Trophy and has realistic hopes of ending a 30-year Stanley Cup drought. It’s getting in the way of your ambitions.
“We talk all the time,” Rangers defenseman Ryan said after practice Thursday. “After Tuesday’s game, I texted him ‘congratulations’ and said we’d talk after the series.
There will be no communication during that time, but we will discuss it later. ”
Thanks in part to Charlie Lindgren, the Capitals made a mad dash with 11 hours left to advance to the final playoff spot, defeating the Flyers on Tuesday night and securing a postseason berth and a playoff matchup with the Rangers.
“It’s pretty cool and pretty weird,” is how Ryan described facing his troubles in the playoffs.
“It’s probably a lot of fun for them, but it’s a lot of stress for the parents,” said Lindgren’s Rangers teammate Alexis Lafreniere.
Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said he “can’t imagine the emotions Ryan must feel” facing his brother, who is four years older, adding: “My heart goes out to him and his family.” It’s going to be emotional, it’s going to be intense, and I hope they look back and say, ‘Wow, that was pretty crazy.’
On Thursday, Charlie Lindgren told reporters that after the win over the Flyers, Ryan texted him and said, “Well done.” “We’ll talk after the first round,” he said, adding, “That’s about all we’re going to talk about.”
“We’re wired that way. We’re very mission-focused. I know he’s focused on the Ranger group over there, but I’m very focused on the Capitals here. The focus is on the team. The rest, in my opinion, is external noise.”
Charlie Lindgren has found the net this year against Ryan and the Rangers.
He made three starts against them and won two of them.
A 4-0 shutout on December 9th marked the first time he and Ryan faced each other in the NHL.
“I think if he scores a goal on me, it’s probably going to kill me,” Charlie told reporters before the game. “That’s not a joke. It’s going to hurt me.”
The outcome of that game was only a temporary sting for Ryan Lindgren and the Rangers, but of course they bounced back and ended the best regular season in franchise history.
sibling rivalry. NHLI (via Getty Images)
Now, the Rangers need to make sure Charlie Lindgren doesn’t hurt them when it matters most in this playoff series with all the pressure on.
“I love my brother so much and I really respect his style of play,” Charlie said. “My parents, my brother, my grandpa, we’re all so excited. But we don’t want to lose focus. It’s not me vs. my brother. It’s Capitals vs. Rangers. I don’t want to talk about anything else.”
Ryan Lindgren sounded almost exactly like his brother Thursday.
When I jokingly asked my brother how many points he wanted to score, he said it was all business and “I’m not really worried about that.” First of all, I’m worried about winning. All that matters is winning.”
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, who coached Charlie in Washington last year, called the sibling showdown “a great thing that doesn’t happen all the time.”
“They’re both great people who come from great families, and they’re both competitive,” Laviolette said. “When you work with them, you see that their level of competition is very high.”
Unlike Ryan, who became a starter for the Rangers in his second season (2019-20), Charlie was a late bloomer and was an underused reserve for six years before transferring to Washington last season (13-11). I struggled as a player. 3.
This season, he has his best record in recent memory with 25 wins, 16 losses, and 7 losses.
“I don’t know [Charlie] Personally, I know that [Ryan] He’s kind of working on everything,” Trouba said. “That seems to be the case. [Charlie’s] There was a road. He’s a guy who doesn’t give up and gives his all, and yeah, he had some great games against us. So it’s going to be interesting. ”
Rangers defenseman Quandre Miller said he worked out with the Lindgrens over the summer and described them as “unreal guys, very competitive.”
“It should be a fun matchup for those two,” Miller said. “[Charlie] He’s a good goalkeeper. He showed what he could do. He has the same competitiveness as Ryan here in New York. I think it’s ingrained deep within that family. ”
