Washington Capitals (30-9-5) vs Philadelphia Flyers (22-15-6)
| Predicted Goaltender | Record | GAA / SV% / # SO | |
| Washington Capitals | Braden Holtby | 18-7-4 | 2.99 / .902 / 0 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Carter Hart | 13-10-3 | 2.61 / .905 / 1 |
For this second half of a back-to-back, the Washington Capitals swooped up to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers. Both teams played last night, and the Capitals last defeated the Flyers 2-1, back in November.
Last night, the Washington Capitals dominated the Ottawa Senators, 6-1. It was definitely nice to have an easy, smooth-sailing game after the types of the games the Capitals have played lately. Although Artem Anisimov scored first, giving Ottawa the lead, both TJ Oshie and Alex Ovechkin would score two goal apiece to hand the Senators their fifth straight loss. Only a single penalty was called throughout all 60 minutes, a two-minute minor penalty against Carl Hagelin (hooking). The Capitals’ penalty kill, even without Hagelin, kept the Senators off the board. TJ Oshie scored his 17th of the season just one minute and 19 seconds into the second period. Just over seven minutes later, Radko Gudas would give the Caps a 2-1 lead with his 2nd of the season. At the 17:15 mark of the middle period, Alex Ovechkin scored his 25th of the season, marking his first goal on home ice since December 9th versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Just 41 seconds into the third period, TJ Oshie scored his 2nd of the night, helping Washington pull ahead of Ottawa, 4-1. Oshie’s 18th goal on the year marked his 3rd goal in two games. Eight seconds past the two-minute mark of the third period, Lars Eller potted his 11th of the season, and at the 16:19 mark, Ovechkin would score his 26th of the season, and his 2nd of the night. With Ovechkin’s two goals, the Capitals captain has tied Teemu Selanne for 11th place on the all-time list. The Capitals outshot the Senators 41 to 27, and goaltender Ilya Samsonov allowed just one goal on 27 shots, ending his night with a .963 save percentage. Samsonov has just one loss in his last eight starts, which came against Boston, where he replaced Braden Holtby after allowing four goals on seven shots. Braden Holtby will start against the Flyers.
The Philadelphia Flyers also played last night, but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime, 5-4. Marking their fourth straight loss, the Flyers are just 5-4-1 in their last 10. Travis Konecny and Michael Raffl scored 37 seconds into the first period, and then again at the 8:57 mark to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. Konecny leads the Flyers with 36 points, but the entire lineup is contributing in the goal-scoring department. Every player has at least one point (minimum 9GP), and six have goals in the double-digits. Ivan Provorov leads the team with six power play goals. However, Lucas Wallmark would score not even 60 seconds after Raffl to get the Hurricanes on the board. Warren Foegele scored his 9th of the season to tie the game with just under five minutes left in the first period. Interestingly enough, the Flyers and the Capitals are tied for 10th for most goals against allowed, at 2.95. The Flyers would receive their first power play late in the first, as Erik Haula was called for tripping. Despite having ‘two periods’ to convert on the man-advantage, Philadelphia’s 15th ranked power play would fail to do so (TheScore). The Flyers, however, do boast the best face-off percentage in the league, for the second season in a row, as they win 54.6% of face-offs taken. Jake Gardiner gave the Canes the go-ahead goal at the 3:12 mark of the second, and 90 seconds later, Joel Edmundson would improve their lead, 4-2. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, at the 14:27 mark, would cut into Carolina’s lead. Tyler Pitlick was called for delay of game with a little over four minutes remaining in the second, but Carolina would not convert. Travis Sanheim would score the only goal of the third period, tying the game 4-4, with his 5th of the season. The Flyers second and final power play would not convert in the third (Svechnikov, slashing). Dougie Hamilton would score the game-winning goal just short of the two-minute mark of the overtime period. Brian Elliott ended the night with 28 saves on 33 shots. Carter Hart will start against the Capitals.
Philadelphia will be without the services of Justin Braun (OUT, groin), Samuel Morin (DL, knee), and Nolan Patrick (IR-NR, head). Oskar Lindblom is currently undergoing treatment for Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. The Capitals, its fans, and the entire NHL are behind Lindblom, and are in full support of him, his family, and the Flyers organization.
Coverage of the game begins at 6:30pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 7:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:30pm.
References:
TheScore. (2020). Philadelphia Flyers @ Carolina Hurricanes. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22394.
TheScore. (2020). Philadelphia Flyers News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/9.
