The Capitals are heading into Wednesday with a thinner netminding picture after Logan Thompson came out of Tuesday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings with an injury. Thompson was slow to rise after a save two minutes into the second period and appeared to be favoring his left leg, though he stayed in the game and finished by allowing four goals on 25 shots.
Per Sammi Silber of The Associated Press, Thompson will not skate at Wednesday’s practice and is listed as day to day.
That leaves Washington with just one healthy goalie on the NHL roster: Charlie Lindgren. With the Capitals’ next game not coming until Saturday, there’s still time for Thompson to recover. If he can’t, the team is likely to use an emergency recall to bring Mitchell Gibson up to the NHL roster, and Lindgren would slide into the starter’s crease.
Lindgren has been a steady part of Washington’s goalie setup for the last five seasons. He took over as the starter in 2023-24 and turned in a career-best year, going 25-16-7 with a .911 save percentage in 50 games. Last season, with Thompson ahead of him, Lindgren shifted into the backup job but still posted a winning record and a .896 save percentage across 39 appearances.
Thompson has clearly taken the lead role when healthy. He is 4-3-0 with a .901 save percentage through seven games this season, and those numbers follow a 2024-25 campaign in which he set career highs with a 31-21-6 record and a .912 save percentage in 58 games. He later finished fourth in 2026 Vezina Trophy voting.
Washington also made a roster move up front, assigning Jonny Brodzinski to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. That could be a sign Pierre-Luc Dubois is close to coming back after missing the last five games with an illness.
Dubois had four points in his first four games before leaving the lineup. He also dealt with injuries last season and finished with 19 points in 29 games. Once he’s fully healthy, he should give the Capitals a real lift.
Brodzinski heads back to the minors after putting up five points in four games for Hershey this season.
In Other News...
Capitals Just Sent A Clear Message About Jonny Brodzinski
Jonny Brodzinskis time with the Capitals at this stage will be brief, at least for now, after Washington loaned the forward back to the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League. It is the kind of roster move that says plenty about where things stand for a depth player trying to carve out a spot, especially one who joined the Capitals as a free agent after spending six seasons in the New York Rangers organization.
Brodzinski had been recalled by Washington on Oct. 17, and his latest stint with the big club gave him a couple of chances to show what he could do at the NHL level. In Hershey, he has been productive early, which only adds to the sense that the Capitals still see him as an option worth keeping close, even if the immediate path runs through the AHL for the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Suddenly Have A Goalie Concern They Cant Ignore
Logan Thompsons health has become a suddenly important subplot for the Capitals after Spencer Carbery said the goaltender is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Thompson did not practice and the team has a few days before its next game, which at least gives Washington a little breathing room while it waits to see how he responds.
The concern traces back to the recent game against the Kings, when Thompson appeared to get shaken up late but stayed in and finished the night. For now, the severity of the injury is still unknown, and the Capitals will be watching closely to see whether this turns into a brief pause or something more disruptive for a team that cant afford much uncertainty in goal. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Let Another Strong Start Slip Away In Frustrating Loss
A promising start turned into a frustrating night for the Capitals, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Los Angeles seized control and left Washington staring at a 5-2 loss. Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson provided the early offense, but the lead quickly became fragile as the Kings found their footing and shifted the games tone before the first intermission.
Washingtons issues only grew from there, with defensive turnovers helping fuel the Kings comeback and special teams failing to steady things when the game started to slip. The Capitals have spent enough time this season trying to turn good openings into complete efforts, and this one offered another reminder of how quickly momentum can disappear when the details go the other way. [Read more 🡒]