Playing the front end of a set of home-and-home back-to-backs in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Caps and Flyers met for the first time this season in a game replete with special teams. For the first time in their franchise history, the Caps opened the scoring with a pair of shorthanded goals from Nic Dowd and Andrew Mangiapane, and it proved to be enough for Washington’s fourth consecutive victory, a 4-1 decision over the Flyers.
“I saw early on, both power plays from both sides struggle, and give up chances shorthanded,” says Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery. “And we were able to capitalize on two of them; great finishes by Dowd – that’s not an easy finish, and he pulls that across – and then Mange to give us that two-goal cushion. And then we gave some back on the power play, and Chucky [Lindgren] stepped up and made some big saves.”
The penalties started early in the first period of Tuesday’s tilt. Caps’ captain Alex Ovechkin was sent away for interference at 2:16 of the opening frame, sending Washington on an early penalty killing mission.
With Philadelphia pressing in the offensive zone, Caps’ defenseman Martin Fehervary pushed the puck up the right wing wall, and the Flyers weren’t able to keep it in cleanly, enabling Dowd to push it out to neutral ice, where he won a foot race for it, and skated in all alone on Philly netminder Samuel Ersson. Dowd made a nifty backhand shot to the shelf, and his first shorthanded goal since Feb. 1, 2022 staked the Caps to an early 1-0 lead at 3:49.
Following a spirited scrap from Washington’s Dylan McIlrath and Philly’s Nicolas Deslauriers, the Caps had a pair of power play opportunities with which to build on that lead. But the Washington wasn’t able to muster as much as a shot on net during those four minutes with the extra man, and they found themselves shorthanded once again in the back half of the first period.
Lindgren made an excellent save on Philly’s Travis Konecny in the opening seconds of the Flyers’ second man advantage of the game. Late in the same Philly power play, John Carlson and Connor McMichael teamed up to force a turnover soon after the Flyers entered the zone. McMichael skated it out, and alertly noticed Mangiapane to his left, gaining speed on the weak side. McMichael feathered a backhand sauce feed to him, and the former Flame notched his second breakaway goal in as many games, beating Ersson to double the Washington lead at 15:07.
“I just wanted to get a quick shot off,” says Mangiapane. “Great play by Mikey; he found me with speed through the middle. I just wanted to get it off with a quick release, and I’m happy that it went in. It was a big goal for our team.”
It marked the 15th time in franchise history the Caps have scored as many as two shorthanded goals in the same game, and the first time since March 8, 2006 against Pittsburgh.
Washington had two more power play opportunities in the middle frame, and it did manage to get three pucks on Ersson during those four minutes. The Caps weren’t particularly pleased with their second period, though they did maintain their two-goal advantage into the third. But not for long.
The ongoing penalty parade continued when Konecny and Jakob Chychrun were boxed for matching roughing minors at the 20-minute mark of the second, leading to a stretch of 4-on-4 hockey to start the third.
Travis Sanheim scored Philly’s first home goal of the season just 34 seconds into the third, firing a dart over Lindgren’s catching hand from the left dot to make it a 2-1 contest. But before the Flyers could take advantage of any positive momentum, the Caps were able to restore their two-goal cushion within that same stretch of 4-on-4 hockey.
Dylan Strome made a good defensive play high in Washington ice, tying up Jamie Drysdale until the cavalry arrived. Strome got it to McMichael, who put it on a tee for Carlson, and the blueliner’s shot clanged off Flyers’ defenseman Igor Zamula and in. Washington’s answer to the Sanheim goal took 64 seconds.
Late in the third, Chychrun closed out the scoring with the lone 5-on-5 goal of the game. Jakub Vrana got in on the forecheck and forced a turnover behind the Flyers’ net, sending the puck out to Brandon Duhaime in the right circle. Duhaime teed up Chychrun, as the two Florida natives – who played youth hockey together in The Sunshine State – combined on an NHL goal for the first time, at 14:07 of the third.
“It was a good play,” recounts Chychrun. “Great job finding me and the seam there, and I love walking into a shot.
“It was cool getting an assist from Dewey there. We were kind of saying it was like when we were seven again, making plays together. So a cool moment.”
The Caps closed out Philly, limiting them to just eight shots on net over the game’s final 40 minutes. Then the two teams hustled out of the barn and began their respective journeys to Washington, where they’ll do it again on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.
