UPDATE 11:51 AM
Rob Zepp will get a second straight start for the Flyers in goal. Braden Holtby goes again for the Capitals. The lineups are updated below.
PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. CAPITALS
Closing out a four-game homestand in search of five of a possible eight points, Craig Berube's Philadelphia Flyers (25-23-11) host Barry Trotz's Washington Capitals (33-17-10) on Sunday afternoon. Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 12:30 p.m. EST. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.
This is the fourth and final meeting of what has thus far been a hard-fought season series, and the second and final game in Philadelphia. On Jan. 8, the Flyers skated off with a 3-2 home overtime victory. Six nights later at the Verizon Center, the Caps earned a 1-0 regulation win. On Feb 8. in Washington, the Flyers held the Capitals to 14 shots in a 3-1 win.
Sunday's game is the end of a back-to-back set of weekend afternoon games for the Flyers, and the final portion of a three-in-four. The club hosted the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night and the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon. Thereafter, the Flyers embark on a two-game mini road trip to Carolina (Tuesday) and Toronto (Thursday).
The Capitals are in the same boat in their recent schedule. They hosted the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night and the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. After this game, the Capitals return home to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Wednesday Night Rivalry game on NBCSN.
Flyers outlook
The Flyers have gained at least one point in 11 of their last 12 games (7-1-4). The Flyers enter Sunday's play four points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Boston holds a game in hand and also currently holds an edge in the non-shootout wins tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same number of points.
Two days after sustaining a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres and falling to 0-1-1 on the homestand, the Flyers rebounded to claim a 3-2 shootout win on Saturday afternoon over the President's Trophy leading Nashville Predators.
Philadelphia held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 while dominating the opening 40 minutes. Nashville surged for multi-minute segments of the third period, but the Flyers had momentum jumps of their own in a mostly evenly played final 25 minutes.
Wayne Simmonds got the Flyers on the board first in the opening period, while Ryan White restored a lead in the second stanza. The shootout lasted just two rounds, as both Jakub Voracek and Simmonds converted their opportunities while Nashville went 0-for-2.
Goalie Rob Zepp showed character in a hang-in-there performance on Saturday. He was beaten for two goals on just nine shots -- at least one of which should have been stopped -- but then slammed the door by not allowing a goal on the next 13 shots he faced before stopping both shooters in the skills competition.
Ray Emery is likely to return to the lineup on Sunday afternoon. Otherwise, barring any undisclosed injuries or illnesses, Craig Berube's lineup will probably remain unchanged from the Predators game. That means Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Scenn would be healthy scratches, along with eighth defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo.
Top Flyers goaltender Steve Mason has been skating for a few days, rehabbing after arthroscopic right knee surgery. He is still a week or so from being ready to return to game action. Veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen (blood clot) has been practicing since Wednesday after joining the team for Tuesday's morning skate.
Capitals outlook
Since the Capitals last played the Flyers, Washington has gone 5-1-0. The team has looked impressive thus far in their current three-in-four gauntlet. On Thursday, the Capitals dismantled the visiting Jets, 5-1. On Saturday afternoon, the Caps got the bonus point in a shootout with the New York Islanders in a 3-2 final.
On Saturday, Washington and the Islanders traded off one goal apiece in the first and third periods. The Caps were less than a minute away from a regulation win before Ryan Strome forced overtime. Defenseman Matt Niskanen scored near the end of the first period for the Caps. In the third period, veteran forward Eric Fehr forged a 2-1 lead with 5:34 remaining in regulation.
After a scoreless overtime, opening shooter Evgeny Kuznetsov notched the lone shootout goal for either team. Winning goalie Braden Holtby stopped 30 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime before going 3-for-3 in the bonus point competition.
Holtby, who also played in the Winnipeg game, has been a workhorse for the Caps this season. Seldom-used backup Justin Peters has appeared in just three games since the start of December. Peters last played on Feb. 15, stopping 30 of 33 shots in a 5-3 road win over Anaheim.
The Capitals have a mostly healthy lineup available. Veteran defenseman John Erskine (neck surgery) is on injured reserve.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.63 (20th), Capitals 2.93 (7th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.80 (24th), Capitals 2.42 (T-5th) Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 1.01 (T-19th), Capitals 1.08 (T-11th) Power play efficiency: Flyers 23.0% (4th), Capitals 24.3% (2nd) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 75.9% (28th), Capitals 81.4% (16th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 51.5% (T-8th), Capitals 51.0% (13TH)
Projected lineups (Subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds 24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek 25 Ryan White - 10 Brayden Schenn - 18 R.J. Umberger 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 36 Zac Rinaldo
55 Nick Schultz - 32 Mark Streit 15 Michael Del Zotto - 5 Braydon Coburn 8 Nicklas Grossmann - 47 Andrew MacDonald
72 Rob Zepp [29 Ray Emery]
Scratches: Vincent Lecavalier (healthy), Luke Schenn (healthy), Carlo Colaiacovo (healthy), Steve Mason (arthroscopic right knee surgery), Kimmo Timonen (LTIR, blood clot).
CAPITALS
8 Alexander Ovechkin - 19 Nicklas Bà¤ckström - 65 Andre Burakovsky 90 Marcus Johansson - 92 Evgeny Kuznetsov - 20 Troy Brouwer 21 Brooks Laich - 16 Eric Fehr - 42 Joel Ward 83 Jay Beagle - 25 Jason Chimera - 43 Tom Wilson
44 Brooks Orpik - 74 John Carlson 27 Karl Alzner - 2 Matt Niskanen 38 Jack Hillen - 52 Mike Green
70 Braden Holtby [35 Justin Peters]
Scratches: Michael Latta (healthy), Aaron Volpatti (healthy), John Erskine (IR, neck surgery).