FLYERS VS. CAPITALS GAME PREVIEW (7:30 A.M. EST)
Starting a home-and-home set with a current one-point separation in the Metropolitan Division standings, the Philadelphia Flyers (31-24-6) are in DC for a matinee with the Washington Capitals (29-23-9). Game time is 12:30 p.m. EST. The match will be televised nationally on NBC.
This is the fourth of five games in what has been an eventful season series. It is the second and final meeting in Washington.
On Nov. 1, the Capitals visited the Wells Fargo Center. Playing without Alexander Ovechkin, Washington laid a 7-0 whipping on the Flyers. Philly actually held the Caps without a shot for the first 15 minutes of the game, but the Flyers felt apart after Washington scored late first period and early second period goals. Starting goalie Steve Mason was pulled after Washington opened a 3-0 lead. Ray Emery came into the game.
In the third period, Washington extended the lead to 7-0. On the final goal, an already frustrated Emery was peeved that his mask had come off as the goal was being scored but play had not been stopped.
Moments after the ensuing center ice faceoff, Wayne Simmonds fought Tom Wilson in the Washington end of the ice. Immediately, Emery skated down the ice, intent on fighting Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.
Holtby, who was working on a shutout, refused to fight and skated away from his crease. Emery forced the issue, and proceeded to thrash the other goaltender. No teammates came to their goalie's defense.
In the meantime, a full-scale line brawl developed. Vincent Lecavalier ended up suffering facial injuries that kept him out of the next two games. Earlier in the game, Steve Downie (playing his first game after being traded to the Flyers from Colorado) suffered a concussion and sinus damage with Aaron Volpatti. Downie, who got caught flush just below his left eye, ended up in the hospital.
On Dec. 15, the clubs started a home-and-home series with a game in Washington. In a staggering collapse, the Flyers blew a 4-1 lead held midway through the third period and went on lose 5-4 via shootout.
Philly led 2-1 at the second intermission before opening up a three-goal lead on closely spaced goals by Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Caps cut the deficit to 4-2 at 11:20, got the game to 4-3 at 16:20 and then Alex Ovechkin tied it with 48 seconds left in regulation.
Two nights later, on Dec. 17, it was the Flyers turn to play comeback kids. Trailing 2-1, Philly exploded four four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
At 11:54 of the middle stanza, Matt Read's 10th goal of the season -- made possible by Steve Downie keeping a rebound of a Nicklas Grossmann shot alive in front and poking the puck to an open Read -- tied the game at 2-2.
The real turning point of the game happened at 15:17 of the middle period. That's when Tom Wilson earned a charging major and game misconduct for a reckless hit on Brayden Schenn. Grossmann came over immediately to confront Wilson. Wilson was ready for him and an indecisive fight (which was mainly a grappling match) ensued. In the ensuing scrums, Scott Hartnell and Eric Fehr also went off for roughing.
The Flyer made the Capitals pay dearly for it, scoring twice on the ensuing power play open a 4-2 lead.
The go-ahead goal was a blast through traffic by defenseman Mark Streit, who scored one goal apiece in each game of the home-and-home to bring his season total to three. This goal showed Streit using his best asset -- his explosive shot -- to maximum effect. Since-demoted fourth line winger Chris VandeVelde was on the ice for this power play as the net-front forward. VandeVelde provided Streit with a screen on Braden Holtby (30 saves on 35 shots).
With 1:44 remaining in the second period, the power play struck again. Jakub Voracek cut in from the right circle and threaded a low shot past Holtby. The goal was Voracek's second of the game.
Voracek's two goals in this game were supplemented by a goal from the defense (Streit), one from a member of the Sean Couturier line (Read) and one from a member (Wayne Simmonds in the third period) of what had been an effective Schenn line prior to the incident with Wilson.
Unlike the latter half of the third period in Sunday's game, the Flyers did not stop pressuring the puck. They kept up the forechecking pressure. As a result, Philly narrowly outshot the Caps in the third period (13-12) and a three-goal lead held until the final buzzer.
After today's game, the Flyers and Capitals will conclude their season series on Wed. The final regular season rematch in Philadelphia will be another nationally televised game, this time at 8 p.m. on NBCSN.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
Yesterday, the Flyers gained two much-needed points against the New York Rangers to move back within one point of the second-place Rangers in the Metropolitan Division standings. Philly's 4-2 victory at the Wells Fargo Center could easily have gone the way of Thursday's 7-2 embarrassment at the hands of the San Jose Sharks -- a strong first period followed by an epic collapse -- but this time the Flyers battled through the adversity and righted their ship.
Closely spaced first period goals by Vincent Lecavalier and Sean Couturier opened a 2-0 lead that the Flyers took to intermission. Philly had to kill off two early Scott Hartnell penalties and then went on to win most of the battles in the opening stanza.
The second period was a different story. The Flyers caught a break on a disallowed goal for a high stick but still spent too much time retreating and letting the Rangers dictate the play. Chris Kreider was allowed to skate to the net and tip-in a pass from point blank range to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then Derick Brassard tied the game on a power play goal that saw the defense back way too far in and Steve Mason allow Brassard's slapshot to leak through the five-hole.
The Flyers caught a break at 13:23 of the middle stanza as a bit of a broken play on the power play -- Wayne Simmonds tried to pass the puck but got snuffed out -- ended up on right back on Simmonds' stick, and he swept a quick shot past Henrik Lundqvist to restore the lead at 3-2.
The Simmonds goal helped stabilized the Flyers, along with a strong bounceback performance from Mason (33 saves on 35 shots). A big part of the reason why the Flyers won this game was that Mason outplayed Lundqvist, who was neither awful nor spectacular in the game. For Mason, the five-hole goal -- which was not entirely his fault, as Grossmann yielded too much real estate to Brassard -- was the lone chink in his armor.
At 16:15 of the third period, Claude Giroux and Hartnell won battles down low in the offensive zone and Luke Schenn pinched in to claim the long rebound of a Hartnell shot and fire it home to seal the 4-2 victory.
Top-pairing Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen returned to the lineup yesterday after sitting out Thursday's game due to post-Olympic fatigue. Backup goaltender Ray Emery (groin) is day-to-day.
CAPITALS OUTLOOK
The Capitals won their final two games heading into the Olympic break and have also won their first two since the break. In so doing, they've picked up two points on the Flyers (3-1-0 in their last four) to move within a single point of Philly in the standings heading into the home-and-home.
Yesterday, the Capitals passed a major test, going on the road to defeat the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins by a 4-2 score. Alexander Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 42nd and 43rd goals of the season, while Joel Ward tallied his 18th of the season and Eric Fehr hit double-digits with his 10th. Goaltender Braden Holtby (36 saves) was excellent on net for the Caps.
Ovechkin has three goals and five points in the two games since the Olympic break. For his career, he has 26 goals and 42 points in 31 regular season games against the Flyers.
On the injury front, Mikhail Grabovski (ankle) missed yesterday's game and is day-to-day. Also questionable for today in Martin Erat (lower body). Aaron Volpatti (upper body) remains on injured reserve. Defenseman Jack Hillen (broken leg) also remains on IR but is getting close to being cleared to return.
KEY STAT COMPARISONS (NHL OVERALL RANKING)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.72 (14th), Capitals 2.82 (10th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.80 (20th), Capitals 2.85 (22nd)
Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 0.95 (18th), Capitals 0.93 (21st)
Power play efficiency: Flyers 19.3% (14th), Capitals 22.7% (2nd)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 83.8% (7th), Capitals 81.3% (18th)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 49.1% (21st), Rangers 49.7% (17th)
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
19 Scott Hartnell - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
40 Vincent Lecavalier - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
9 Steve Downie - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
12 Michael Raffl - 18 Adam Hall - 36 Zac Rinaldo
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[33 Cal Heeter]
Potential Scratches: Ray Emery (groin), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Jay Rosehill (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
CAPITALS
21 Brooks Laich - 19 Nicklas Bäckström - 8 Alexander Ovechkin
48 Casey Wellman - 90 Marcus Johansson - 20 Troy Brouwer
25 Jason Chimera - 16 Eric Fehr - 42 Joel Ward
94 Nicolas Deschamps - 83 Jay Beagle - 43 Tom Wilson
27 Karl Alzner - 74 John Carlson
81 Dmitri Orlov - 52 Mike Green
4 John Erskine - 58 Connor Carrick
70 Braden Holtby
[30 Michal Neuvirth]
Potential Scratches: Michael Latta (healthy), Martin Erat (lower body, questionable), Mikhail Grabovski (sprained ankle, day-to-day), Aaron Volpatti (shoulder, IR), Jack Hillen (IR, fractured tibia).
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CASINO ROYALE FUNDRAISER WITH FLYERS ALUMNI
On Sun. March 9, starting at 5 p.m., Abrams Hebrew Academy will hold its annual Fund Raising Dinner and Casino Royale Night at Congregation Beth El in Yardley, PA. Special guests for the night will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Bill Clement, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
Apart from the dinner and casino event, there will also be a host of items available via auction, including a signed stick by all three members of the Flyers' legendary LCB line (Reggie Leach and Hall of Famers Bob Clarke and Bill Barber), boxes of Bernie Parent's signature cigar line, a handsome Clarke lithograph and many more goodies.
All proceeds go to benefit the school. My nephew, Sammy Sherman, attends Abrams and my sister, Liza, helped to organize the event and line up the Flyers alumni guests. The slogan for the event is "Help Abrams Make Its Goal."
For more information,
click here.
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