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Caps 6, Flyers 3 - Ovechkin and the Power Play Stay Hot Against Flyers

April 17, 2021, 4:39 PM ET [6 Comments]
Brian Sickles
Washington Capitals Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Hello All,

Here are the stats from the game:


Shots on Goal:

WSH – 41

PHI – 25


Shots on Goal (5v5):

WSH – 33

PHI – 11


Faceoff %:

WSH – 39%

PHI – 61%


Power Play:

WSH – 2/5

PHI – 1/4


Hits:

WSH – 17

PHI - 24


Blocks:

WSH – 12

PHI – 15


Scoring Chances For:

WSH – 25

PHI – 12



Scoring Chances For (5v5):

WSH – 23

PHI – 4


High Danger Chances For:

WSH – 8

PHI – 6


High Danger Chances For: (5v5):

WSH – 8

PHI – 1


Giveaways:

WSH - 5

PHI - 9


My Takeaways from the Game:

Caps Dominate 5v5: The stats speak for themselves and really tell the story of this matchup head to head since the Flyers COVID outbreak. At 5v5, the Caps had 33 SOG compared to the Flyers 11. Scoring chances at 5v5 were 23-4 in favor of Washington. Lastly, Washington held an 8-1 advantage for “high danger” chances at 5v5.

Capitals Power Play Remains Hot Against Philly – The Capitals continued to dominate the Flyers with their power play. After going 3 for 3 on the power play on Tuesday against the Flyers, the Capitals went 2 for 5 today. Against the Flyers this season, the Capitals are 7/14 on the power play. Five of the Seven goals have come from Ovechkin. Ovechkin has racked up eight goals and four assists in six games against the Flyers this season. After holding Ovechkin pointless in four games head to head last season, the Flyers have struggled mightily to contain Ovechkin this season, especially when shorthanded. Ovechkin now has 24 goals in 41 games this season and sits at 730 career goals, just one back from tying Marcel Dionne for 5th all time. If this were a full season, Ovechkin would be on pace for 48 goals. He will not slow down. @Maverick1818 are you happy now?

Conor Sheary Streaking – Just a few days ago, the Capitals locked up pending UFA Conor Sheary to a two-year, $3M extension. A well-deserved contract for Sheary. In his first year with the Capitals, Sheary has fit in quite nicely. He has been a breath of fresh air on the third line and has even dabbled on the second line this season as he has earned more ice time from Laviolette with consistent play on both sides of the ice. In his last three games, Sheary has 4G-2A-6P. Today he had a great tip on a Schultz shot from the point that ultimately found the back of the net. Lately he just seems to be at the right place at the right time. I love Sheary for this Caps team. He brings a certain level of grit and energy that the rest of team feeds off of. He will also provide a great opportunity for consistent depth scoring come playoff time assuming the Capitals hang on to make the playoffs.

Mantha Keeps Scoring – Since being traded to Washington, Mantha has 3G-1A in 3 GP. Today was an EN goal but it was a nice shot from the Caps blueline. The Capitals traded away a lot to pick up Mantha but if he can keep up this production, especially come playoff time, the trade will be worth every penny so to speak. I will write more on this another time but the Mantha but the trade opens up the possibility that the Capitals DO NOT protect Oshie in the expansion draft.

John Carlson Record Game – Carlson had four assists this game which is a career high for one game. Carlson has played 801 NHL games before today and never had four assists in a game. It is a little easy when you have Ovi in his office and the Flyers somehow failing to game plan to stop that.

Wade Allison Scores First NHL goal for Flyers – In his second career NHL game, Wade Allison scored a PPG pow very nifty play from the Flyers. His reaction said it all and it was cool to see the kid get his first goal. I don’t care who you are or what team you play for, seeing guys score their first NHL goals is always special and pretty cool to watch. The 2016 2nd round pick (52nd overall) provided just a small glimpse of what Flyers fans can expect from him in the future. This kid looks like he was born to be a Flyer.

To Sum it Up:

The Capitals took care of business today against the sinking Flyers. After such a huge letdown against Buffalo on Thursday, it was nice to see the Caps get back on track against the desperate Flyers squad who are essentially in must-win mode.

Next up, the Capitals have a quick turnaround and play @ Boston at 12pm ET. The Bruins just rattled off two suffocating wins over the strong New York Islanders Squad. The Bruins will certainly be looking for some redemption after the 8-1 defeat they suffered against the Capitals just a week ago. Newly aquired Taylor Hall has 2G in three games played for the Bruins. He had 2G in 37 games played for the Sabres. Nice one, Hall.
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