Hello All,

The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 at Wells Fargo Center Thursday night. Unlike Tuesday against the Devils, the Capitals DID NOT blow a three-goal lead. It was close but they held on for the win.

Here are the stats from the game:


Shots on Goal:

WSH – 22

PHI – 32


Shots on Goal (5v5):

WSH – 17

PHI – 28


Faceoff %:

WSH – 45%

PHI – 55%


Power Play:

WSH – 0/2

PHI – 1/2


Hits:

WSH – 25

PHI - 24


Blocks:

WSH – 8

PHI – 8



Corsi For:

WSH – 37

PHI – 49



Corsi For (5v5):

WSH – 24

PHI – 40


Scoring Chances For:

WSH – 15

PHI – 12



Scoring Chances For (5v5):

WSH – 10

PHI – 9


High Danger Chances For:

WSH – 5

PHI – 3


High Danger Chances For: (5v5):

WSH – 4

PHI – 1

Giveaways:

WSH - 6

PHI - 13


My Takeaways from the Game:

The Stats - The Flyers held the advantage in shots, corsi for, and on special teams. However, it was the Capitals who held the advantage in scoring chances, high danger chances, and had a substantially less giveaways than the Flyers. I am sure the Flyers are not happy with the themselves on the 13 giveaways. The Capitals first two goals were direct result from turnovers from the Flyers. The 13 turnovers was a mixed bag of the Capitals creating pressure, but also the Flyers just shooting themselves in the foot. Overall, the Capitals were pretty flawless for the first 40-45 minutes then the Flyers came on in the third period. Even with the Capitals history of blowing three goal leads this season, it never really felt like the Flyers were in this game or were going to tie it. The Flyers had one high danger chance at 5v5 the entire night. The Capitals PK bent but it did not break. The Caps killed off a critical penalty late in the third period with the Flyers trailing only 4-3.

John Carlson –John Carlson had an historic night. With his goal in the 2nd period, John Carlson recorded his 500th career point. It took Carlson 783 games to reach 500 points. This ranks third amongst active NHL defensemen. Erik Karlsson ranks 1st with 613 games to get 500 points, and Kris Letang ranks second with 753 games to reach 500 points. Carlson’s 500 points also leads the Capitals all-time scoring list for defensemen. Calle Johansson is second with 474 career points. Carlson ranks 13th all-time for points by a defenseman from USA. Lastly, from the 2008 draft class, Carlson ranks 3rd in points by a defenseman. Here is a list of some notable names from the 2008 draft class:

1. Erik Karlsson – 611 points – drafted 15th overall
2. Drew Doughty – 523 points – drafted 2nd overall
3. John Carlson – 500 points – drafted 27th overall
4. Alex Pietrangelo – 460 points – drafted 4th overall
5. Roman Josi – 429 points – drafted 38th overall

Three Goal Leads – The Capitals almost let another three-goal lead evaporate in the third period. If my math if correct, the Capitals have blown a three-goal lead three times this season. Only one of those has resulted in a loss (02/01 vs Boston). Today was almost the fourth time they blew a three goal lead. Neither team played their best hockey today and the Capitals found a way to win. The Capitals need to be better at protecting leads. With that being said, the Capitals are now 12-1-0 when leading after two periods of hockey. Only TB, EDM, and TOR have better records when leading after two.

Streaking vs Sinking – With the win tonight, the Capitals are now 10-2-1 since February 16th. This is tied with the Islanders for best record in the NHL during that span. The Flyers however are going in quite the opposite direction. Since starting the season 7-2-1, the Flyers have posted a 6-6-2 record. Carter Hart is struggling big time and even old reliable Brian Elliott looked human on some goals today. I do not know much about the Flyers, but I do know they need more consistent goaltending ASAP if they want to keep pace in this division. The Flyers may be in a slump but don’t get it wrong, they are a very good, very competitive, and very skilled team. It is crazy to me to think that one of these teams Bruins, Caps, Islanders, Pens, and Flyers is going to miss the playoffs. Wild! It’s also a shame.

Next up, the Capitals play the Flyers again on Saturday 03/13 at 7pm ET.

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