Washington Capitals News

After an impressive season with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), Garin Bjorklund has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $775,000 with Washington for the upcoming season. The 23-year-old Canadian netminder was Washington's 2020 6th-round pick (179th overall) and posted a 21-4-3 record, .927 SV% and 2.02 GAA with South Carolina last season. Washington is hoping he can bring his success from last season to Hershey (AHL) as he takes a further step forward in his development.

Chesley was Washington's 2022 2nd round pick (37th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. The 21-year-old defenseman spent 2024-25 with the University of Minnesota (NCAA) where he captained the team and put up eight goals and 20 points in 40 total games played.

Lindgren will return to serve as Washington's backup after missing the last three games for personal reasons. Lindgren has made one relief appearance so far this post-season, allowing one goal on five shots in a 6-3 loss to the Canadiens.

The Capitals enter a must-win Game 5, trailing the Hurricanes 3-1 in the series, and will roll with Thompson between the pipes. The Hurricanes have outscored the Capitals 12-6 through four games. Thompson has allowed four goals in consecutive games (0-2) but will look to rebound in Game 5 at home. The 28-year-old netminder has a 2.45 GAA and .918 SV% through nine games (5-4) this postseason. The Capitals enter Thursday's contest as +147 home underdogs against the Hurricanes.

The Capitals enter a must-win Game 5, trailing the Hurricanes 3-1 in the series, and will roll with Thompson between the pipes. The Hurricanes have outscored the Capitals 12-6 through four games. Thompson has allowed four goals in consecutive games (0-2) but will look to rebound in Game 5 at home. The 28-year-old netminder has a 2.45 GAA and .918 SV% through nine games (5-4) this postseason. The Capitals enter Thursday's contest as +147 home underdogs against the Hurricanes.

Lindgren will likely serve as the backup if he can suit up. However, the Capitals recalled Clay Stevenson on Thursday morning, giving the Capitals, who already have Mitchel Gibson on the roster, some options for who will backup Logan Thompson.

Stevenson made his NHL debut during the regular season, posting a 5.00 GAA and .868 SV% in one game (0-1-0). The undrafted 26-year-old goalie spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, posting a 2.94 GAA and .888 SV%.

The Caps will unsurprisingly stick with Thompson between the pipes for Game 4 as they look to even up their series with the Hurricanes. Thompson didn't enjoy his best outing in Game 3, allowing four goals on 28 shots in the 4-0 defeat. It was a rare off night in these 2025 Playoffs for Thompson. The 27-year-old netminder has posted a 5-3-0 record and a .922 SV% in eight appearances. The Capitals enter action on Monday at +200 on the money line.

Raddysh has played in the last two games but it looks like Ryan Leonard will replace him in the lineup for Game 4. Raddysh has just one assist, six shots and 11 hits in six playoff games.

Leonard has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but it looks like he will replace Taylor Raddysh in the lineup for Game 4 on Monday. Leonard has just one assist and 11 SOG in six playoff games so far.

Thompson has been excellent through two games against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, allowing only three combined goals on 61 shots (.951 SV%). That said, the Capitals are tied 1-1 with the Hurricanes and will be desperate for a victory on the road in Game 3 to regain home-ice advantage. The Capitals enter Saturday's contest as +207 road underdogs.

Gibson was a late addition to the Capitals lineup in place of Charlie Lindgren, who is unavailable due to personal family reasons. Gibson is yet to appear in an NHL game and split time between South Carolina (ECHL) and Hershey (AHL) this season.

Thompson nearly stole Game 1 for the Capitals, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced in the 2-1 overtime loss. After a breakout season in Washington, Thompson has arguably been the standout goaltender of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, posting a 4-2-0 record, a .926 SV%, and a 2.17 GAA. He'll need to be at his very best again on Thursday if he wants to guide his team to a bounce back victory in Game 2, as the Capitals enter action at +135 on the money line.

Lindgren was projected to serve as the backup on Thursday, but was a late scratch due to personal family reasons. Mitchell Gibson will dress and back up Logan Thompson in his place.

Leonard only has one assist through six playoff games this offseason and is expected to be a healthy scratch for Taylor Raddysh ahead of Game 2 on Thursday. The 20-year-old right-winger has 15 total NHL games under his belt and has a goal and an assist during that span.

Raddysh was a healthy scratch for Washington's previous three games but is expected to draw back into the Capitals' lineup for Game 2 on Thursday. The 27-year-old winger has only produced one assist in four playoff games this year after collecting 27 points in 80 games played during the regular season.

Thompson stopped 28 of 29 shots in the Capitals' Game 5 win over the Canadiens. Thompson was outstanding in Round 1, going 4-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .923 SV% in five games. Tonight he'll face the Hurricanes in Game 1. He only played vs. Carolina once this season. Thompson allowed three goals on 12 shots in that game before leaving with an injury that would cost him the rest of the regular season.

Raddysh will take a seat on Wednesday to make way for Aliaksei Protas' return from a foot laceration. Raddysh logged zero goals and one assist in the first four games of the series, averaging 11:40 in ice time.

Protas has not played since suffering a foot injury on April 4th but appears set to make his 2024-25 postseason debut in Game 5 after being a game-time decision the past three contests. The 24-year-old Protas had 66 points (30G / 36A) in 76 games this season

After leaving Game 4 due to an injury, Thompson powered through Game 5, saving 16 of 18 shots (.889 SV%) in a 5-2 win, and will return to the crease for Game 5. The 28-year-old Thompson has a 2.54 GAA and .912 SV% through four games (3-1) this postseason. The Capitals enter Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, attempting to be the second team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They enter the action on Tuesday as -177 home favorites against a Montreal Canadiens team that has scored three or fewer goals each game in this series.