Charlie Lindgren & His Brother, Ryan, Setting Boundaries Ahead Of Capitals-Rangers Playoff Series: 'Talk To You After Round 1'

ARLINGTON, V.A. — After stopping 27 of 28 shots to help the Washington Capitals clinch the last playoff spot in the East, Charlie Lindgren got back to the locker room and saw his phone light up with a text from younger brother and New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren.

"Nice job, great job on the back-to-back," Ryan typed. "I'll talk to you after Round 1."

Lindgren typed back, "Sounds good."

And that was that.

The brothers Lindgren won't be doing a whole lot of talking for at least the next four games, but they'll be seeing quite a bit of each other as the Capitals and Rangers face off against each other in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

And for the siblings, that's the way it should be.

"We're wired the same that way where we're very much mission-focused, and obviously, I know he's focused on that Rangers group over there and I'm focused on this Capitals team here," Lindgren said. "The rest of the stuff in my mind is outside noise, and you gotta limit the outside noise, especially at this point."

Related: Critics Were Quick To Write Off The Capitals. Now The Underdogs Are In The Stanley Cup Playoffs: 'I Believed In This Group The Whole Way Through'

Lindgren admitted that it took years before he felt comfortable sharing the ice surface with Ryan, and even now, the thought and possibility of the Rangers blueliner scoring on him makes him nervous.

"Oh, man. It's funny because growing up, you know, he's the younger brother. He's four years younger than me, so I never want to be on the ice with him because I was the goaltender. I was not gonna let my younger brother have the opportunity to score on me," Lindgren said. "Until probably like four years ago, I was like, 'Okay, you can come out and start shooting on me,' because he's a pretty good hockey player. So it's finally okay for us to play hockey together. Growing up, I avoided it at all costs of being on the same ice as him, actually."

It'll mean a lot for the entire Lindgren family, too, as their father and middle brother, Andrew, will take in the action at Madison Square Garden while their mother and grandfather will watch at Capital One Arena.

"I mean, my dad's already a pretty high-stress guy when it comes to hockey games, and especially his son that plays goaltending... I'm sure it's gonna be high-stress for both my parents, but I know for a fact that they both, they're not going to take this for granted at all," Lindgren smiled. "I mean, they're extremely thankful that we're both in this situation, and speaking for both my brother and I, this opportunity's because of that.

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"It's been all because of (my family) essentially," he added of making the playoffs. "And it hasn't been an easy ride, looking back on it, but it's gotten me to this moment, and I think it's prepared me immensely. And I can't say enough good things about the people that have been in my corner since I started playing."

Though the family affair is fun, Lindgren stressed that doesn't want that storyline to overshadow the task at hand. Because at the end of the day, it's about taking the next step forward with the Capitals.

"It's obviously exciting. I have a lot of love for my brother, a lot of respect for the way he plays the game and you know, my parents and my brother and my grandpa, everyone's extremely excited. But I don't want to lose focus where it's — it's not me vs. my brother," Lindgren said. "It's the Capitals vs. the Rangers, and I care so much about this team and this organization. I don't want to make it about anything else. I just want to focus on Game 1 against the Rangers and just put everything I can into this Capitals organization.'"

Still, it'll be fun for his teammates to watch, though they're rooting for No. 79.

"It's different. I personally don't love it that much," Strome said of playing against his siblings, something he's experienced multiple times against the likes of his own brother, Ryan, at the highest level. "I can't imagine what he's thinking right now. Probably just not going to talk too much to each other and focus on being there for the team. Lots of time to be brothers after that."