The Washington Capitals had been all around the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday evening at Capital One Area, throwing shot after shot on the crew that had gotten one of the best of them three nights prior. However Washington failed time and again to beat goalie Carter Hart, and the Flyers got here away with one other win, this time by a 3-1 margin.
Washington
Flyers flummox the Capitals again, this time skating off with a 3-1 win
The sport turned when the Flyers scored twice in 49 seconds within the second interval. Washington made a push by pelting Hart with 19 pictures within the third however by no means received the puck previous him. He completed with 39 saves.
The largely wholesome however all of a sudden fading Capitals (23-16-6) have misplaced three of 4. The Flyers (18-18-7), among the many backside feeders within the Japanese Convention, have gained seven of eight, together with Wednesday’s 5-3 victory over the Capitals in Philadelphia.
“I don’t assume it’s something to fret about,” Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper stated. “Clearly dropping two in a row to the identical crew doesn’t sit nicely with us, however we’ve received an enormous back-to-back arising and that’s received to be our focus.”
“There’s no panic,” ahead Tom Wilson added. “It’s perhaps somewhat little bit of frustration. … This group is feeling one another out somewhat bit.”
James van Riemsdyk put the Flyers up 2-1 at 4:51 of the second. After Kuemper (22 saves) gave the puck away, two Philadelphia passes arrange van Riemsdyk, who was large open on the precise aspect with solely an empty web in entrance of him.
Wade Allison gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead at 5:40. Shortly after a defensive-zone faceoff, the Capitals had been scrambling round their web as Allison discovered the puck within the slot and beat Kuemper, whose diving effort went for naught.
Washington, which went 0 for 3 on the facility play, returns to motion Monday on the New York Islanders earlier than internet hosting Minnesota on Tuesday. After Saturday’s tough efficiency, Coach Peter Laviolette is prone to tinker along with his strains once more.
The Capitals have struggled since Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom returned to the lineup Sunday for an underwhelming 1-0 win over last-place Columbus. Their availability compelled mixtures that had been working for Washington all season to be damaged up, and the Capitals have scuffled since, managing 5 targets in three video games. These modifications continued Saturday when heart Dylan Strome was a wholesome scratch in favor of winger Anthony Mantha.
“Guys, once they get the chance, they’re going to go in there and play exhausting,” Laviolette stated. “However once they come out, it’s not essentially as a result of they wanted to come back out.”
Regardless of some good early probabilities, Washington discovered itself in a 1-0 gap when the Flyers’ Scott Laughton opened the scoring with 6:44 left within the first interval. His deflection of a shot from the purpose got here with the Capitals shorthanded following a questionable tripping name that despatched Lars Eller to the penalty field.
Alex Ovechkin had what could be the lone Washington purpose, tying the rating at 1 with 2:04 left within the interval on a rebound. It was his thirtieth purpose of the season; that is the seventeenth time he has reached that complete in his 18-year NHL profession, matching longtime Capitals star Mike Gartner for essentially the most 30-goal seasons in NHL historical past. (Ovechkin had 24 targets in 45 video games within the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.)
Right here’s what else to know in regards to the Capitals’ loss:
Strome being a wholesome scratch was a shock and the primary time he was out of the lineup this season. He was a key contributor within the season’s first half, filling the void left by Backstrom as he rehabbed his surgically repaired hip. Strome is Washington’s third-leading scorer with 31 factors in 44 video games, however he had did not report some extent within the earlier three video games.
“Dylan’s performed nice for us, so he’ll be again in there,” Laviolette stated. “These are powerful selections. I’ve to maintain a balanced lineup in there. I’ve received to maintain faceoff guys in there. I’ve received to maintain penalty kill guys in there. He’s performed a great job — he’ll be again in.”
Following the returns of Backstrom and Wilson, Mantha was a wholesome scratch for 2 video games. He has struggled with consistency and blamed his work ethic for being sidelined. In opposition to the Flyers, Mantha had an enormous hit on his first shift and received time on the second power-play unit. He had a breakaway halfway via the primary interval, however Hart received a chunk of his shot. He had one other good look on the frenzy halfway via the third however couldn’t slip the puck previous Hart then, both. He completed with 4 pictures on purpose in 17:10.
“I felt good,” Mantha stated. “I feel I used to be shifting my ft. I feel I had a pair alternatives — one breakaway I want I had again. However, yeah, I felt good.”
Laviolette cut up up heart Nic Dowd and winger Garnet Hathaway, inserting Dowd on the third line with Mantha and T.J. Oshie whereas protecting Hathaway on the fourth line with Eller and Marcus Johansson. Laviolette has praised the chemistry Dowd and Hathaway have constructed over the previous few seasons, making this shake-up a shocking change, too.
“They’ve been good,” Laviolette stated Saturday morning. “They’re not solely good defensively however chipping in with massive targets offensively on the proper time.”
Laviolette gave the primary important replace on injured ahead Connor Brown on Saturday morning. Brown had surgical procedure to restore a torn ACL in early November and is predicted to be out for the season whereas going through six to eight months of restoration time. He had no factors in 4 video games this season, his first with Washington.
“He’s doing extra — nonetheless being watched and maintained to guarantee that he’s doing what he’s speculated to do,” Laviolette stated. “However I feel that there’s a web page that you just flip when you get previous the primary month of an damage like that. So he’s down that highway now, doing good.”