Flyers-Caps Wrapup: Special Teams, Structured Play Key 3-2 Flyers Win
The Philadelphia Flyers wrapped up a four-game homestand (2-1-1) with a 3-2 regulation victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. Strong special teams play -- the Flyers went 2-for-4 on the power play -- and a team-wide commitment to playing a structured 200-foot game with consistent puck support and a willingness to block shots keyed the win.
Michael Del Zotto scored the game winning goal with 4:13 remaining in regulation. The defenseman tallied off the rush from the left circle -- a shooting "sweet spot" where he has scored several goals this season -- off picturesque feed from Jakub Voracek.
Earlier, the Flyers built a 2-0 lead on power play goals by Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds. Washington came back to tie the game in the middle period on goals by Tom Wilson and Joel Ward.
Winning goaltender Rob Zepp, starting both halves of the weekend back-to-back set for the Flyers, turned back 21 of 23 shots. The team in front of him also blocked 19 shots. Braden Holtby stopped 25 of 28 shots for the Capitals.
For most of the game, Philly checked the Caps very tightly, as they did in holding Washington to 14 shots when the teams met on Feb. 8 at the Verizon Center. Philly held Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Bà¤ckström off the scoresheet, while Giroux (one goal, one assist), Voracek (two assists) and power play point man Mark Streit (two assists) had multi-point days.
1st period
The Flyers forechecking produced an early left slot chance for Chris VandeVelde and the first two shots of the game. At the 3:37 mark, Jay Beagle got flagged for holding Claude Giroux in the Flyers defensive right corner. Philly cashed in to take a 1-0 lead.
Mark Streit and Claude Giroux jockeyed the puck up high in the Washington zone. Getting a return pass from Streit, the Flyers' captain skated in a stride and ripped his 17th goal (10th power play tally) of the season through a screen in front as he shot the puck through defenseman John Carlson's legs. Streit (29th assist of the season) and Voracek (43rd assist) collected the apples at 4:39.
About six minutes into the period, Andrew MacDonald turned a puck over the neutral zone and recovered to take it right back. The Capitals got their first shot on a goal -- from a severe angle -- about eight minutes into the stanza.
As the period neared the midway point, Sean Couturier had an excellent shift, landing a big body check and later made a nice move with the puck that nearly led to a Flyers' goal. Shortly thereafter, Nick Schultz made a simple but effective play on the right side boards to play the puck away from the attacker after Mark Streit got caught on the wrong side of the puck and Schultz came over to help him out.
Two rotations later, Couturier line enjoyed another excellent forechecking shift -- including a good scoring chance for Matt Read off a feed from Voracek that narrowly missed connections. Ultimately, Washington took an icing.
The Flyers benefited from a quick whistle with 6:48 left. Zepp never covered the puck off an initial shot but referee Justin St. Pierre, stationed in the opposite corner, lost site of the puck.
At the 13:55 mark, Zac Rinaldo (moments after taking down the goal post in the Caps end) got sent off on an elbowing minor as he backchecked against Karl Alzner and then careened into the end boards.
Couturier turned a puck over near the blueline and then recovered with about three minutes left. No harm resulted. With 2:13 on the clock, Schultz had a scary moment with the puck near the Flyers net but Zepp covered ahead of Troy Brouwer on the doorstep.
With 30 seconds left in the period, Niskanen knocked Couturier to the ice on a knee-to-knee and got a kneeing penalty. Couturier hobbled off the ice before the Flyers went to the power play. Alexander Ovechhkin and Braydon Coburn exchanged words a shove in the Flyers' end of the ice at the whistle but nothing escalated.
Shots in the first period were 8-6 Flyers. Faceoffs were 12-10 Flyers.
2nd period
Couturier skated around the ice, testing his knee before the opening faceoff of the second period. He stayed in the game.
The Flyers started the second period with 1:30 of carryover power play time on the Niskanen kneeing penalty. In the waning seconds of the power play, Brayden Schenn caught a high stick from Laich in the face. The Flyers went right back to the power play (there was one second of 5-on-3 time). Philly cashed in fast.
Brayden Schenn won a left circle faceoff back to Mark Streit, with a little help from Giroux. The rebound popped into the air off Holtby's left shoulder. Simmonds quickly bunted in the dropping rebound from the doorstep for his 24th goal of the season (13th power play goal) at 1:34. Streit (2nd assist of the game, 30th of the season) and Giroux (40th assist) got the helpers.
Braydon Coburn got a roughing penalty at the 3:00 mark. The Caps went on their second power play. The Flyers staged a strong kill, highlighted by three blocked shots by R.J. Umberger and by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and VandeVelde winning a battle for a loose puck. At the expiration of the penalty, Coburn had a counterattacking chance as he exited the box.
The Capitals cut the gap to 2-1 at 5:23. A Brayden Schenn turnover along the wall led to back-door goal by Wilson (third goal of season) off a feed from Carlson(32nd assist). Nicklas Grossmann gambled by going down to try to block the pass across to Wilson but the puck eluded him and went to the wide open Wilson.
With 13:42 left in the period, Rinaldo got dropped by Jason Chimera in a short fight, catching a right hand flush after a battle near the Flyers bench. Rinaldo never dropped his gloves, but still got a fighting major. Chimera received an extra roughing minor and the Flyers went back on the power play.
This time, the Flyers didn't get much going on their power play.
Holtby gloved a long-distance point shot by Del Zotto and held on for a stoppage with 8:32 left in the period. Shots for the game at this point were 15-11 Flyers.
The Caps tied the game at 2-2 on a funky goal by Joel Ward (14th goal of the season). The bounced around and Ward's hammered shot seemed to deflect slightly off Rinaldo's stick before it went upstairs. Fehr (ninth assist) and Laich (ninth assist) got the assists at 15:22.
As time ticked down to the final 90 seconds, Holtby stoned Ryan White on a breakaway and then denied a left slot shot by R.J. Umberger a couple seconds later.
Streit went off for slashing -- after a long delayed penalty -- at 19:42. Del Zotto blocked a shot just before the buzzer.
Shots in the second period were 8-6 (20-15 Flyers through two periods). Faceoffs were 13-5 Capitals (23-17 Capitals through two periods).
3rd period
The Caps took 1:43 of carryover power play time into the third period. The Flyers killed it off without allowing a shot.
Washington had an odd-man rush opportunity around three minutes into the period but didn't do much with it as the Flyers recovered.
Del Zotto received a tripping penalty along the defensive wall at the four-minute mark. At the 39 second mark of the power play, Ovechkin had a great look at the net but shot it wide. Shortly thereafter, Zepp's right pad stuffed a Nicklas Bà¤ckström attempt as the Capital swung across the crease.
Holtby came up big to deny Michael Raffl and Claude Giroux off a line rush and rebound attempt around 7;15 into the third period.
Voracek took at icing at 8:57 on a shift where the Flyers got hemmed in their own zone. Craig Berube called timeout.
Couturier made a nice rush from the neutral zone and snapped of a shot. Holtby hung on with 10:49 on the clock. Shots for the game were 24-20 Flyers at this point.
With 9:04 left, Holtby denied Brayden Schenn in close off a centering feed by Ryan White from behind the net. Two minutes later, Ward had a clear lane to the net after a turnover by Simmonds. He shot high and wide.
Grossmann attempted a stretch pass to Brayden Schenn with 5:12 left. The pass missed the mark and went for an icing.
A beautiful goal by Del Zotto restored a 3-2 lead to the Flyers at 15:47. Double-shifting on the fourth line in place of Rinaldo, Voracek gained the offensive zone on the right wing and found the defenseman joining the play on the left side. The pass was on the mark and Del Zotto shot from the left circle was perfect. Del Zotto's seventh goal of the season was assisted by Voracek (second assist of the game, 44th of the season) and VandeVelde (sixth assist).
Voracek made a nice back checking play to break up a scoring chance with about 3:10 remaining in the game. With 2:05 left, VandeVelde had a clutch zone clear. The play went back in offside. The Capitals called time out at 1:56 before a faceoff in the Flyers right circle. Holtby came to the bench for an extra attacker.
After a very lengthy scrum on the right side boards, Schultz accidentally flipped the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. He drew the automatic delay of game penalty at 19:02.
On the ensuing kill, Coburn made a clutch (and very painful) shot block that struck him off the right ankle. As time ticked down the final seconds Grossmann blocked a shot. The Capitals ran out of time.
Shots in the third period were 8-8 (28-23 Flyers for the game). Faceoffs were 12-11 Capitals (35-28 Capitals for the game).
POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES
* The Flyers attempted 54 shots on goal (28 on net, 15 blocked, 11 missed) for the game. The Capitals attempted 53 (23 on net, 19 blocked, 12 missed).
* Three different Flyers -- Michael Del Zotto, Nicklas Grossmann, and R.J. Umberger -- blocked four shots apeice for the Flyers. John Carlson led the Capitals with four.
* The Capitals were credited with 42 hits while the Flyers were credited with 37. Michael Latta was credited with five to lead the Caps, while Brayden Schenn and Ryan White also credited with five for Philly.
* Sunday's game was a thrill for me personally, because it was the first time I was asked to make the Three-Star Selection for an NHL game. Del Zotto (game winning goal, four blocks, three credited hits) was the first star, Claude Giroux (power play goal, power play assist, 21:23 of ice time, five shots on goal, 11 shot attempts, 23:21 of ice time) was second, Jakub Voracek (power play assist, even strength game-winning assist, two credited hits, good backchecking play late in the game) was third. I also gave thought to Wayne Simmonds (power play goal, screen on Giroux goal) and Sean Couturier (excellent two-way game, three credited hits, four shot attempts, gamely stayed in the game after the first-period knee-to-knee hit.
* The Flyers leave on Monday for a short road trip. They are in Raleigh on Monday to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. On Thursday, the club visits the Air Canada Centre for a match against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
* Claude Giroux on the Flyers' four-point weekend: "Every game we have left this year are going to be big games for us. We’re back in the race now. Obviously tonight we’re going to be watching TV a little bit to see what the other teams do. I think we have to be pretty happy with how we’re playing right now. We’re playing as a team. We have to keep going.…
* Giroux on what has changed since the Flyers seemed hopelessly out of the playoff chase: "We’re finding ways to win games. We gave a lot of points at the start of year with the other team scoring at the end of the game or not being able to win in shootout. We can’t be looking in past. We got to look at the future right now. We have to bet ready for next game.…
* Braydon Coburn on the same subject: "We were going in the wrong direction. Especially this weekend it’s a good four points we earned this weekend at home. Now we have to go on the road and keep this thing going. We got ourselves right in the mix now.…
* Giroux in response to a question over whether he is surprised by the five wins that Rob Zepp has earned in his NHL recalls this season: "Zepp knows how to win. He wins everywhere he went. When you win [five] championships in Germany…you don’t win by luck."
* Rob Zepp on the shots the team blocked and whether he prefers if players do that or stay out o the way to reduce the chance of a deflection off a skate or stick or an unfavorable bounce: "Normally they have a guy in front of me too so anytime your guy can step in the lane and block it before it gets to their guy it’s a big help. I thought the guys were awesome tonight. Coby had a huge block at the end of the game on Ovechkin. Umberger, had three in one shift in the second period as well.…
* Zepp on the benefits of playing behind veteran defenseman and for a team playing with the structured approach the Flyers used successfully in the weekend wins over Nashville and Washington: "It definitely helps me and the team. We've had very good communication and you know where people will be, which is very important."
* Michael Del Zotto on the winning goal: "I jumped off of the bench, saw Jakey at the puck and I turned up. That’s what he does best, he finds guys. He gave me the puck, I kind of held on for a bit, waited for traffic to get out of the way and I put it on net and it went in.…
* Flyers coach Craig Berube on the impact of the team's penalty killing work: "Huge. PK (Penalty kill) has been good for long time. I think… we’re getting up ice and pressuring, disrupting breakouts and doing little things like that… faceoffs but Vandevelde and Bellemare have done an excellent job. All of the penalty killers have not just them. They've been excellent.…
* Zac Rinaldo on whether his reputation played into the penalty calls, especially when he did not drop the glove with Chimera: "Oh yeah, totally. I was pissed off that I got the penalty, because if it was me in that position I probably would have been thrown out, [gotten a] 10,5, 2. But he’s a good guy. I’ve been in that position before where I’ve done something like that. But it was something that pissed me off because if it was me, I would have been kicked out or suspended or something like that, so that’s what pissed me off.…
* Rinaldo on the elbowing penalty he received, in response to a question if contact was made: “No, I fell. It was kind of awkward how I fell, I was going too fast and it happened so quickly.…
* Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz on what the Flyers did well against his team: "Philly has been really good, especially these afternoon games really jumping on teams early and I thought they did on us. We just weren't sharp and they forced us not to be sharp. You have to be really prepared for that and we fell and dug ourselves a 2-0 hole. I thought we slowly started getting into it from the bottom part of our lineup. Latta’s line was really starting to get going. They got us the first goal on the forecheck and the second sort of the same thing with Fehr. They stayed on the puck a little bit, or we threw it at the net and it ended up going in. Obviously, I thought we played okay up to that point. We lost the special teams award today and they got a goal at the end. I thought it was a poor change, they didn't come to the bench quick enough and a little bit of duplicate coverage on the Voracek a little bit allowed Del Zotto to get the backdoor there.…