March 1 vs. Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Stream: MonSports.net/Stream
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
Philadelphia Flyers (31-22-7)
Washington Capitals (27-22-9)
The Philadelphia Flyers make just one visit to the District this season, and that is Friday night when they supply the opposition for the opener of the Capitals’ two-game homestand. With the NHL’s trade deadline looming just a week away and the Flyers and Caps both vying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, Friday’s game qualifies as a big tilt for both sides.
As the two Metropolitan Division rivals take the ice for the second of just three meetings between the teams this season, they’re separated by six points in the divisional standings. As the third-place club in the Metro, the Flyers are currently sitting in a playoff spot. With two dozen games remaining on the season – and with just three contests on their schedule between now and the March 8 trade deadline – the Caps are desperately trying to catch up to the Flyers.
In addition to two head-to-head meetings in those last two dozen games, the Caps hold two games in hand on the Flyers. Friday’s game is pivotal for Washington; if the Caps aren’t able to pull two points from Friday’s game, it’s not difficult to imagine them moving some players for future assets before next Friday’s trade deadline.
“We’re right there,” says Caps’ center Dylan Strome. “We’ve done a decent job the last 10 games of battling back and putting ourselves at least within striking distance. We’re six points back of Philly, and we have two games against them, and two games in hand. If you look at it that way, we’ve got to take care of business [Friday].
“Then we’ve got a couple of games before the deadline, and I’m pretty sure if we go 3-0 in these next three games, it’s going to make the [hockey operations] decisions a little tougher. That’s ultimately what we want as a team. No one wants to have guys move on, and have guys go to teams at the top of the standings. We’re a team in here, and it’s an important game for us [Friday].”
Washington should be just a touch healthier than it was earlier in the week when it split a set of bac-to-backs, defeating Ottawa at home on Monday before falling to the Red Wings in Detroit on Tuesday. The Caps played those games without a handful of key regulars, but they should have defenseman Nick Jensen and winger Sonny Milano available to them on Friday against Philly.
Winger T.J. Oshie (upper body) is still out. Defenseman Martin Fehervary (lower body) and center Nic Dowd (upper body) both skated before Thursday’s practice session in non-contact sweaters, but both are unlikely for Friday’s game.
Aside from the starting goaltenders, the Caps ran out the same lineup for each of their games earlier in the week, but in getting Jensen and Milano back, they altered their lines slightly at Thursday’s practice. One of those changes involves Hendrix Lapierre skating in the middle of the team’s top line with Alex Ovechkin.
In his two games with the Caps since his latest recall from AHL Hershey, Lapierre has scored three goals, including one in Detroit on Tuesday that featured a primary assist from the Caps’ captain.
“That would be unreal, obviously,” says Lapierre of the prospect of playing on a line with Ovechkin. “He’s a great, great player, as you guys know. I’m excited to see what we can do if we play together. I feel like if he gets open, I’ll try to find him – same thing with [Ivan Miroshnichenko] as well. I don’t know what it’s going to look like [Friday], but it would be a pretty special opportunity to play with him, obviously, and I feel like we can do really good things.”
Tom Wilson would be the likely right wing on that unit, but Wilson (personal) did not practice with his teammates on Thursday. Miroshnichenko occupied Wilson’s right wing spot on that line at practice, and he or fellow rookie Pierrick Dubé would be the likely fill-in if Wilson is unable to play on Friday against the Flyers.
Regardless of who plays where and with whom, the Caps’ focus has to be on getting two points, and on getting them in regulation.
“I think guys are pretty aware of the circumstances and the significance of [Friday] night’s game,” says Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery. “I don’t think you can build it up too much, not at this level. Usually, you catch their attention, and they know what’s going on. They know in the back of their mind, and then it’s just drawn to the forefront.”
Similar to the Caps, the Flyers wobbled their way to the midseason break, losing a season high five straight games – all in regulation – as they finished up January. But Philly roared out of the break with four straight victories, and its 6-3-1 February record is also similar to Washington’s 5-4-2 mark over the same span.
Expected by many to be a rebuilding club this season, the Flyers have confounded the pundits since the start of the season. They opened by winning three of their first four games and didn’t lose more than three in a row until after the turn of the calendar.
Like the Capitals, Philly also figures to be missing some key performers for Friday’s game. Defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Risto Ristolainen are both out of action for a while – both are on injured reserve – and leading scorer Travis Konecny (upper body) is listed as day-to-day.
Friday’s game is the front end of a set of back-to-backs for the Flyers, who return home to host Ottawa on Saturday night. The Flyers come to D.C. on the heels of a 6-2 home ice won over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
