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The cold war between the Lindgren brothers came to an end on Tuesday, April 28, just a little over a week after it started when the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals met for Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup.
On the Capitals’ final media availability before going on vacation following their postseason sweep at the hands of the Rangers, Washington’s Charlie Lindgreen finally waved the family white flag and declared he will be rooting for his brother Ryan going forward.
“I just said (to his brother Ryan on the handshake line following Game 4), ‘I love you bro, and good luck,'” Charlie told reporters during the April 30 media availability held by the Capitals, via Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. “I’ll be cheering hard for him and hopefully [the Rangers] can get it done in the playoffs.
“I’ll talk to him soon and get this awkward situation out of the way.”
Charlie acknowledged that going against his brother was an awkward situation for the two of them, but that it was something unique and worth experiencing along with the rest of their family.
“We’re in that awkward phase where I’m not ready to reach out,” Charlie said. “It was fun for our family to play each other in the first round. To play against him in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was a treasure, I just wish it would’ve gone better.”
Ryan & Charlie Lindgren: Cold War Through 1st Round Matchup
The Rangers had to wait until the final moments of the regular season to know their first-round opponent having clinched a postseason berth earlier than any other team across the NHL.
The Capitals, on the other hand, were the last team to make it to the postseason, earning a matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
For Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren that meant facing his brother and Rangers defenseman Ryan.
On Thursday, April 18, when the matchup was finally set in stone, Ryan revealed that he had congratulated his brother before entering a no-talk cold war with him for the duration of their upcoming encounter.
“Pretty cool and pretty weird,” Ryan told reporters after practice on April 18, via Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, when asked about how would it feel to face his own brother in the playoffs.
“We speak all the time,” Ryan said. “I texted him after Tuesday’s game (when the Capitals clinched) to say, ‘Congratulations,’ and we said we’ll talk after the series.”
That same day, Thursday, April 18, Charlie revealed that his brother had, in fact, sent him a short message declaring a cold war of shorts for the duration of the matchup between Washington and New York.
“Nice job. I’ll talk to you after Round 1,” Charlie told reporters when relaying the content of Ryan’s text message. “That’s about all the talking that I think we’ll do.”
Rangers Sweep Capitals, Set to Face Carolina Hurricanes
With the first-round series over and the New York Rangers advancing earlier than any other team, it’s now time for the Blueshirts to focus on their second-round opponent.
It took them a couple of days of waiting, but the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders for a fourth time on Tuesday and clinched a place in the second round winning their matchup against the Isles 4-2.
Rangers and Canes faced each other in the 2020 Bubble Playoffs and then again in 2022 with both franchises winning one series apiece.
This season, these two squads put together the best and second-best records in the Eastern Conference with New York raking up 114 points and Carolina finishing with 111 and only behind the Rangers and the Dallas Stars (113) league-wide.
In three regular-season matchups, the Rangers beat the Canes two times to Carolina’s lone victory. New York won the only game played in Carolina, however, which could bode well for them entering the second-round matchup with home-ice advantage.
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