Montreal Canadiens: The importance of protecting Charlie Lindgren

It’s great to see Charlie Lindgren up with the Montreal Canadiens, but the team has to make sure that they’re protecting the young player.

Ever since the Montreal Canadiens sent Charlie Lindgren back to the AHL, fans were counting down the days until he was back in the NHL. His three-year extension with the Habs pretty much confirmed his role in the organization moving forward, and Carey Price‘s concussion presented the 24-year-old with another chance to play in an NHL arena.

Lindgren got back on track stopping all 33 shots he faced in regulation and overtime. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Flyers got the edge on the Habs in the shootout, but it was still another solid performance for the young netminder. Claude Julien chose to give him another start against the New York Islanders and led the team to a 3-1 win stopping 32 shots. Although the goaltending has looked alright on Lindgren’s end, and Antti Niemi as well, the Habs haven’t been able to change the way they play defensively.

Which bring us to their two latest losses. A 6-4 almost comeback against the New Jersey Devils, and a 5-0 shutout at the hands of the Florida Panthers. That’s a total of 11 goals against for Lindgren. Even a well-established goalie in the league will say that it’s not a good feeling to allow so many goals in such a short timespan.

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Granted, every goaltender gets lit up at some point in their careers, but that can’t be good for Lindgren who is still young. Confidence is key, especially for a goaltender, and the Habs can’t turn this season into one that affects him negatively. Lindgren has made a highlight reel save at least once in each of his starts, but he continues to fall victim to the team’s breakdowns in the defensive zone.

If the plan is to give Lindgren as many starts as possible, assuming there’s a chance Price could return by the end of the season, then the Habs need to improve defensively. Reducing the number of times the red light comes on could be the saving grace of the year. No matter who is in the lineup now or next year, nothing will change unless structure is added to the lineup.

Whether that’s adjustments that need to be made to Claude Julien’s system or simple changes to player personnel, something needs to be done. That way both Lindgren and Price can stop pucks without having to be left out to dry every single night.

Next: Lernout is Looking for Redemption

Do you feel like the Habs are doing a good enough job handling Lindgren? How can the defence improve? Let us know in the comments before.