'Wednesday Night Hockey': 5 Storylines

The Philadelphia Flyers will continue their push for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they play the Washington Capitals at Wells Fargo Center in the first game of a "Wednesday Night Hockey" doubleheader (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS).

The Flyers were last in the NHL on Jan. 13 at 16-23-6. Since then, they are 16-3-2 and seven points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. But the Capitals are on a surge of their own. They've won four in a row and are tied in points with the New York Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
The second game also features a team that has climbed off the deck during the second half of the season. The St. Louis Blues were last in the NHL nine weeks ago at 15-18-4. They're 19-7-2 since and third in the Central Division entering their game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN).
Here are 5 storylines to watch:

Ovechkin chasing 50 again

At age 33, Alex Ovechkin is still the most dangerous scorer in the NHL. The Capitals captain leads the NHL with 45 goals and is five shy of his eighth 50-goal season; he is the only NHL player to reach the 50-goal mark since the start of the 2012-13 season. His one-timer from the left circle is still one of the most dangerous shots in hockey. Ovechkin has scored seven goals in his past nine games and is on pace to lead the NHL in goals for the eighth time, which would break a tie with Bobby Hull for the most in NHL history. He's had great success against the Flyers with 55 points (33 goals, 22 assists) in 50 games.

Capitals hitting their stride

The defending Stanley Cup champions had their ups and downs through the first two-thirds of the season. But the Capitals are finding their game as the season enters its final month and will try for their fifth consecutive victory and seventh in eight games. Goalie Braden Holtby is 3-0-0 in his past three starts, allowing a total of five goals. The offense is more than just Ovechkin; eight players have reached double figures in goals. John Carlson leads a deep group of defensemen that was bolstered by the addition of Nick Jensen prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25. First-year coach Todd Reirden has Washington on a roll at the right time.

Flyers playing catch-up

The Flyers offense has come alive under coach Scott Gordon, who replaced Dave Hakstol on Dec. 17. Philadelphia has averaged 3.71 goals in its past 21 games, up from 2.73 in its first 45. Rookie Carter Hart plugged the hole in goal, going 13-8-1 in 22 games before going down with an ankle injury. Fortunately for the Flyers, veteran Brian Elliott was ready to return after missing three months with a lower-body injury. Elliott is 3-0-1 in four starts, allowing 10 goals on 149 shots for a .933 save percentage. The question for the Flyers is whether they can sustain their current pace or if they dug too big a hole with their poor start.

Binnington, Tarasenko spark Blues

St. Louis looked like a team headed for its second straight non-playoff season until 25-year-old rookie goalie Jordan Binnington was called up Jan. 5. His first NHL start was a 3-0 win against the Flyers on Jan. 7, and he's been little short of brilliant ever since, going 15-3-1 with five shutouts. His 1.68 goals-against average and .933 save percentage are the best among all NHL goalies who've played at least 20 games. Binnington's arrival coincided with a turnaround by forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored a goal in his debut and has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) and a plus-17 rating in his past 26 games. Even after back-to-back losses last weekend, the Blues appear well-positioned to return to the playoffs.

Tough times in Anaheim

Injuries and offensive struggles have all but assured the Ducks of their first non-playoff season since 2011-12. Anaheim has two players with at least 13 goals (Jakob Silfverberg, 18; Adam Henrique, 13) and starting goalie John Gibson and backup Ryan Miller each has missed sizeable chunks of time with injuries. The Ducks were 19-11-5 after a 4-2 road win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec 17, then set a team record by losing 12 straight games (0-8-4), won twice, and lost their next seven games, all in regulation. They were 2-15-4 in a 21-game stretch before coach Randy Carlyle was fired Feb. 10. General manager Bob Murray decided to take an up-close look at Anaheim's problems by replacing Carlyle for the rest of the season.