Postgame 5: Comeback Falls Short in 6-3 Loss to Caps

In the back half of a home-and-home set, the Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Washington Capitals, 6-3, at Capital One Arena on Wednesday evening.

Trailing 4-0 in the second period, the Flyers made a heavy push to chip away at the deficit and get back without one goal. That was as close as they got, however.

The Flyers, who got swept in the home-and-home, are winless in their last six games (0-5-1).

The Capitals took a 1-0 lead at 4:50 of the first period. Taylor Raddysh (2nd goal of the season) deflected a Dylan McIlrath shot into the net. The secondary assist went to Rasmus Sandin.

In the second period, the Capitals scored three goals on their first four shots to expand a 1-0 lead to a 4-0 edge. The Flyers pushed back for the next two goals to cut the gap in half by the second intermission.

With Nic Dowd in the penalty box, the Flyers' top power play unit spent the entire two minutes on the ice and got caught out of gas as the play swung the other way. Dowd (2nd of the season, goals in back-to-back games against the Flyers) scored from the deep slot. The lone assist at 2:49 went to Sandin.

The Flyers got caught on a line change and a stretch pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois sent Connor McMichael (2nd) off on a breakaway for a nice finish at 4:04. The helpers went to Dubois and McIlrath.

Washington jumped out to a 4-0 lead at 7:16 as McMichael (3rd) scored his second goal of the period. This one was a re-direct of a Trevor van Riemsdyk shot that was somewhat similar to Raddysh's first period marker. Dubois got the secondary assist.

The Flyers got on the board with a power play goal at 12:04 of the second period. Travis Konecny (PPG, 3rd) caught goalie Logan Thompson cheating off the near side post and made him pay. The assists went to Matvei Michkov (4th assist of the season) and Jamie Drysdale (first 2024-25 assist).

Philly got some good luck -- plus a valuable screen in front -- as they moved within 4-2 at 12:04. Owen Tippett's seeing-eye shot from a seemingly low-percentage area on the left side above the circle found its way between Thompson's pads. Egor Zamula and Tyson Foerster got the assists.

The Flyers converted a 4-on-3 power play into a Michkov power play goal (3rd) of the season to draw within 4-3 at 6:36 of the third period. Moving laterally up high, Michkov measured a wrister through traffic into the net. Tippett and Drysdale earned the assists.

The Flyers had multiple opportunities to knot the score as the third period progressed. They came close a few times but were unable to get a fourth goal.

Finally, a botched line change by the Flyers resulted in an unassisted Dubois empty net goal (1st) at 17:48. An Alex Ovechkin empty net goal (2nd) after a Tippett turnover down the ice sealed a 6-3 final. Strome assisted.

Ivan Fedotov stopped 19 of 23 shots in taking the loss. Thompson earned the win with 26 saves on 29 shots.

Foerster re-entered the Flyers starting lineup on Wednesday. Bobby Brink exited.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

71 Tyson Foerster - 14 Sean Couturier - 39 Matvei Michkov

21 Scott Laughton- 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
74 Owen Tippett - 25 Ryan Poehling - 86 Joel Farabee
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 27 Noah Cates - 19 Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

82 Ivan Fedotov

[33 Samuel Ersson]

TURNING POINT

Dubois, who finished the night with a three-point game, was denied point blank by Fedotov. Shortly thereafter, the Flyers began their comeback bid. The bid fell short but the Flyers had waves of momentum thereafter.

POSTGAME 5

1) At 3:04 of the first period, Fedotov made a glove save on Andrew Maniapane. Washington had each of the game's first three shots on goal, including the Raddysh tally. Later, Jakub Vrana picked Deslauriers' pocket inside the Flyers' defensive zone. Fedotov made the stop.

2) Frost was high sticked by McIlrath at 6:20 of the opening period, creating the game's first power play. The Flyers generated only a single shot on goal: a center point shot by Frost. Throughout the first period, the Flyers lacked consistent cohesion and forechecking pressure. On the flip side, the checking was pretty tight on both sides. First period shots on goal were 6-4 Capitals.

3) The Flyers went back to the power play at 27 seconds of the second period. Couturier nearly scored on the delayed call. The Flyers continued to lack pace and puck pursuit, eventually taking an icing. Michkov attempted the Michigan lacrosse shot. The first unit stayed out on the ice for the entire power play and then Dowd scored.

4) After the Konecny and Tippett goals cut the Flyers' four-goal deficit to two, Philly nearly drew to within a single goal. At the end of a long shift, Frost broke free on a breakaway. Thompson made the save between his pads before the puck could slide over the goal line. Second period shots on goal were 16-9 Flyers.

5) Michkov was called for an interference penalty in the opening minute of the third period. On the ensuing kill, Sanheim had a shorthanded scoring chance and Ryan Poehling struggled off the ice and up the tunnel after getting hit with a 94 MPH slap shot. Poehling soon returned.

After Michkov's goal, Frost (seven shots on goal) nearly tied the game on a deflection on net. Later, he very narrowly missed a wraparound with plenty of open space. With 4:57 left, Frost took a very ill-timed offensive zone holding penalty. The Flyers killed it off and soon pulled Fedotov for a pair of ill-fated 6-on-5 attacks.