5 THINGS: Flyers vs. Capitals
Wrapping up a five-game homestand, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (9-12-5) will host Peter Laviolette's Washington Capitals (11-12-4) at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday evening
GAME NOTES
The game will be televised on NBCSP The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second of four meetings this season between the Metro Division rivals. The Flyers and Capitals will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 11 before the season series wraps up in Washington on Jan. 14.
On Nov 23 at Capital One Arena in Washington, the Flyers led 2-1 heading into the final three minutes of regulation before Sonny Milano tied the game as the Capitals scored on a rush that started out behind their own net. Alex Ovechkin scored the game-winner to end a 64-second overtime. In the first period, the Flyers' Morgan Frost and Washington's Marcus Johansson (power play) traded off goals. Patrick Brown put the Flyers ahead, 2-1, late in the second period. In a somewhat shaky performance, Darcy Kuemper nevertheless stopped 21 of 23 Flyers shots. Felix Sandström made 29 saves on 32 Washington shots.
The Flyers enter this game coming off a 5-3 home win against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Twelve different Philadelphia players recorded at least one point. Travis Sanheim (3rd goal of the season), Tanner Laczynski (2nd), Tony DeAngelo (PPG, 4th), Owen TIppett (PPG, 7th) and Travis Konecny (ENG, 10th) scored for the Flyers. Carter Hart earned the victory with 29 saves on 32 shots.
Washington is coming off a 3-2 road win against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. Lars Eller (4th goal of the season), TJ Oshie (PPG, 4th) and Nic Dowd (4th) scored for the Capitals, who overcame a Connor McDavid shorthanded goal that gave the Oilers a short-lived 2-1 lead. The Capitals peppered Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner with 50 shots on goal. Charlie Lindgren stopped 28 of 30 shots to earn the win in goal for the Caps.
Here are five things to watch in tonight's game:
1. Going for third in a row with a PPG.
The Flyers still rank near the bottom (30th of 32 teams) in the NHL in power play success rate, entering this game at 16.0 percent overall (13-for-81). However, they have fared better of late, going 1-for-3 against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday and 2-for-3 against Colorado on Monday. In the Avalanche game in particular, the Flyers' looked much better on the man advantage even apart from getting goals from both the first- and second-unit groupings. The entries were better, and the puck movement crisper. The Flyers generated open looks at the net and traffic in front when the puck went out to the point.
It should be noted that the Avalanche (like the Flyers) are an injury-riddled team that has struggled of late on the penalty kill. Nevertheless, the Flyers did their part in making plays on the man advantage and getting the opposing PKers back on their heels. They'll need a similar level of execution against the Capitals, who enter this game ranked 7th in the NHL on the penalty kill at 80.8 percent success with a pair of shorthanded goals scored.
The Capitals power play, which perennially ranked near the top of the league over the last decade, ranks 21st so far this season at 21.1 percent success (20-for-95). The Flyers' penalty kill ranks 23rd in the NHL at 74.5 percent success with two shorthanded goals scored (one apiece by Scott Laughton and Sanheim). Philadelphia went 4-for-5 on the PK against Colorado, which went into Monday's game ranked No. 1 in the NHL. While the Avalanche lost Nathan MacKinnon to a first-period injury after scoring on their first power play opportunity, it was still a good accomplishment for the Flyers to kill each of the next four penalties they took. Even so, it would be wise for the Flyers not to push their luck by taking excessive penalties again.
If the Flyers can find a way to win the combined special teams battle against Washington, it will be the third straight game the Flyers will have done so. That's a feat the Flyers have yet to accomplish this season.
2. Both teams enter on the wrong end of the 5-on-5 ledger.
The number one reason that the Capitals enter Wednesday's game at one win below "hockey .500" is that the team has given up more goals at 5-on-5 than they've scored. The Capitals have scored 46 goals at 5-on-5 but have allowed 53 to enter this game at minus-seven as a team. The Flyers haven't fared much better. Philly is minus-six as a team in 5-on-5 situations, scoring 44 goals and yielding 50.
In terms of puck possession and shot quality, the Flyers were severely at a deficit early this season although they were winning games largely due to receiving otherworldly goaltending from Hart.
Since that time, even as the Flyers' won-loss fortunates took a severe turn for the worse with a mere two wins in their last 14 games, the team's underlying puck possession process has gotten better at 5-on-5. Entering tonight's game, the Flyers rank 27th in shot attempt share at 5-on-5 (45.7 percent).and 29th in expected goals share (42.7 percent) at 5-on-5.
There is still a whole lot of room for improvement -- as the lopsided second period possession deficit against Tampa Bay last Thursday showed rather dramatically -- but there has been gradual improvement in terms of killing plays in the defensive zone, getting the puck up ice and establishing a forecheck.
By comparison, the Capitals rank smack dab in the middle of the NHL pack in 5-on-5 shot attempt differential (16th, 50.3 percent). In terms of expected goals, the Caps rank 20th at a 49.01 percent share.
3. JVR seems poised to return, Laczynski goes on IR.
Veteran left winger James van Riemsdyk has missed the Flyers' last 20 games after suffering a broken right index finger. He was placed on Injured Reserve and underwent surgery on Oct. 28.
Barring a late setback, it appears that van Riemsdyk will be activated from IR to return to the Flyers' lineup against Washington. Before the injury, JVR posted five points (2g, 3a) through the season's first six games. Both of his goals came on the power play. For a Flyers team that has struggled mightily to score goals this season (five-goal outburst against Colorado last game aside), van Riemsdyk's return is greatly welcomed.
Both JVR and his brother, Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, have long relished every opportunity to compete against one another. Trevor has dressed in all 27 games to date played by the Capitals this season.
Cam Atkinson (upper body injury) has been on the active roster all season but has been unable to dress for any games. He's medically cleared and has been practicing with the team regularly over the last week but does not feel physically ready to contribute to his standards. He will miss his 27th game tonight.
Laczynski, who had one of his strongest all around games of the season on Monday against Colorado, suffered a lower-body injury in the third period. He was placed on IR the next day. The 25-year-old center/winger is out on a week-to-week basis per Flyers general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher.
4. Flyers line play.
At Tuesday's practice at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, van Riemsdyk skated on the second power play unit. Assuming that the Flyers otherwise start tonight's game with the same combinations that they featured for the majority of the game against Colorado, a potential lineup against Washington is below. Note: The actual selected starting lineup combinations will be reflected in the Postgame 5. The Flyers have an optional morning skate today.
Potential starting lineup (subject to change)
13 Kevin Hayes - 49 Noah Cates - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 74 Owen Tippett
21 Scott Laughton - 23 Lukas Sedlak - 25 James van Riemsdyk
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 38 Patrick Brown - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
24 Nick Seeler - 77 Tony DeAngelo
79 Carter Hart
[32 Felix Sandström]
PP1: DeAngelo (point), Frost (left), Konecny (slot), Cates (netfront), Hayes (right).
PP2: Provorov (point), Tippett (left), Farabee (slot), JVR (netfront), Laughton (right)
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Washington Capitals
The Capitals have gone 4-4-2 over their last 10 games. For the season, Laviolette's team brings a 4-8-3 road record into tonight's game. The team will wrap up its current six-game road trip (longest of the season) tonight in Philadelphia. To date, the Caps have gone 2-2-1 through the first five games of the road trip. The most recent four games have respectively been played in Vancouver, Seattle, Calgary and Edmonton.
Washington, like the Flyers, has been decimated by key injuries this season. The team remains without all of the following players who are on IR: Nicklas Bäckström (LTIR), Tom Wilson, Dmitry Orlov, Connor Brown, Carl Hagelin and Beck Malenstyn. Goalie Kuemper is officially day-to-day after taking an elbow to the head from Tyler Toffoli in Saturday's 5-2 loss in Calgary.The team recalled goalie Hunter Shepard from the AHL's Hershey Bears to back up Lindgren for the time being. Defenseman Martin Fehervary also went down (upper-body injury) in the Calgary game. Matt Irwin subbed for Fehervary in the Edmonton game. Fehervary is officially day-to-day.
The Capitals had an off-day on Monday. They will hold a morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center today. A potential lineup, subject to change, is below:
8 Alex Ovechkin - 17 Dylan Strome - 73 Conor Sheary
15 Sonny Milano - 92 Evgeny Kuznetsov - 77 T.J. Oshie
90 Marcus Johansson - 20 Lars Eller - 39 Anthony Mantha
59 Aliaksei Protas - 26 Nic Dowd - 21 Garnet Hathaway
56 Erik Gustafsson - 74 John Carlson
57 Trevor van Riemsdyk - 3 Nick Jensen
27 Alexander Alexeyev - 52 Matt Irwin
79 Charlie Lindgren
[31 Hunter Shepard]
