In the first game of a very busy March schedule, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (31-22-7) are in the District of Columbia on Friday to take on Spencer Carbery's Washington Capitals (27-22-9). Game time at Capital One Arena is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
The Flyers and Capitals have only played each other once so far this season, with the Flyers earning a 4-3 (2-1) victory via shootout at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 14. The three-game season series will conclude on April 16 in Philadelphia. Friday night's game is the lone clash between the teams in Washington this season.
In the Dec. 14 game, the Flyers battled back from deficits of 2-1 and 3-2 to force overtime. Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett (tying goal with 2:59 left in regulation) scored for the Flyers, while Morgan Frost collected a pair of assists. Samuel Ersson turned back 27 of 30 shots in regulation and overtime before denying three of four shootout attempts. Sean Couturier and Brink scored in the shootout.
Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist for the Capitals in that game. Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson also scored in regulation, while Aliaksei Protas contributed two assists and T.J. Oshie had one helper. Alex Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet on this night, along with John Carlson. Oshie notched the Caps' lone successful shootout attempt. Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping two of four shootout attempts.
The Flyers enter Friday's game coming off a 6-2 home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. The Flyers are 6-3-1 over their last 10 games and bring a 16-9-5 road record for the season into Friday's tilt.
The Capitals are coming off a rough performance in an 8-3 road loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Washington is 5-3-2 over its last 10 games and 15-9-5 on home ice this season.
Here are five things to watch in Friday's game.
1. The Stretch Drive Begins
The stretch drive -- the final quarter of the NHL regular season -- traditionally begins when the calendar flips to March. The Flyers have 22 games remaining in their 2023-24 schedule, including a grueling run of 15 games through the first 30 days of March. The Capitals have 24 games remaining on their schedule.
Energy management is crucial throughout the season, but never more so than during the stretch drive. Practice time is scarce. The Flyers were able to roll their lines in the third period against Tampa Bay, as Philly pulled away on the scoreboard. Tortorella's team had a complete off-day on Wednesday and then a practice on Thursday. On Friday, there will not be a morning skate. The Flyers are beginning a gauntlet of three games in four nights, and they've attempted to conserve as much energy as possible.
Within the games themselves, every game during the stretch is an "empty the tank to win" scenario. The Flyers need to finish among the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division to guarantee themselves a playoff spot. Each and every point up for grabs is critical.
This time a year ago, the Flyers were playing for jobs, player development and longer-term roster assessments. It's a whole different ball game now, with each individual game taking on greater meaning. As a hockey team, the Flyers players and coaches have worked hard to put themselves in a position where their own focus is solely on taking care of their own business.
In terms of the trade deadline, management will do what it feels is best for the long-term plan based on what moves are available to be made. On the hockey team side, the focus has to be on day-to-day business as usual. Just as teams need to work around injury absences, potential pre-deadline roster moves are beyond the control of the players.
2. Laughton on Top Line
Scott Laughton saw his career-best seven-game point streak (4g, 6a, 10 points) come to an end in Tuesday's match against Tampa Bay. Nevertheless, "Laughts" turned in another strong all-around performance over the 22 shifts he played.
With team captain Sean Couturier having hit a wall over the latter half of January and most of February -- one goal, six points, minus-13 , 17:07 TOI in 16 games since returning on January 15 from a two-game injury absence -- Tortorella recently moved Laughton up to the team's top line at five-on-five. Couturier, whose ice time was already being reduced in recent weeks, is now on the fourth line for the majority of his shifts.
As the stretch drive takes shape, it's a must for the Flyers to get Couturier back to the form displayed until mid-January (40 games played, 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points, plus-11, 20:03 TOI). In the meantime, Laughton has been doing yeoman work in an expanded role.
3. Ersson Expected to Start
Tortorella said after Thursday's practice that, of the season's remaining 22 games, the club will need No. 1 goalie Samuel Ersson (17-11-4, 2.55 GAA, ..901 SV%, three shutouts) to start perhaps 17 or 18 of the matches. That will leave four or five starts for the backup goalie.
On Thursday, with Cal Petersen clearing waivers and being assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers recalled Felix Sandström. It is likely that Sandström will start one of the games during the current three-in-four spell.
For Friday night, Ersson is the expected starter. He was the first goalie off the ice at the end of Thursday's practice, with Sandström staying out longer for extra reps. Ersson's only career game to date against the Capitals was the Dec. 14 contest earlier this season.
4. Inside the Numbers: Puck Possession, 5-on-5, Special Teams
The 2023-24 edition of the Washington Capitals are a far cry from the offensive juggernaut the team was through most of the 2010s into the current decade. The Caps enter Friday's game ranked 30th offensively in the NHL, scoring an average 2.59 goals per game. The Flyers rank 20th and 2.98 goals per game.
In terms of keeping the puck out of their own net, the Flyers rank 11th with a team 2.92 goals against average. The Caps rank 19th with a team 3.14 GAA.
At 5-on-5, the Flyers have scored 121 goals (tied with the Rangers for 16th most) and have allowed 123 (tied with Calgary for the 18th fewest). The Caps have tallied just 101 goals (fourth fewest) and allowed 127 (10th most).
From a puck possession metrics standpoint, the Flyers rank 11th in shot-attempt share at 5-on-5 (51.24 percent team Corsi) and eighth in comparative scoring chance quality (51.92 percent expected goals share). The Caps rank 25th in team Corsi (47.06) and the bottom six (27th) in expected goals share at 46.73 percent.
The Washington power play is also nowhere near where it used to be. The Capitals enter Friday's game ranked 24th on the power play at 18.1 percent (29-for-160, five shorthanded goals yielded). The Flyers penalty kill ranks No.1 leaguewide at 86.2 percent (opposing power plays are 26-for-189) and also leads the NHL with 14 shorthanded goals scored: five by the injured Travis Konecny, three by Ryan Poehling, two SHG (plus five shorthanded assists) by Laughton, two by Sean Walker and one apiece for Garnet Hathaway and Travis Sanheim.
The Flyers power play ranks last in the NHL at 13.0 percent (25-for-192, three shorthanded goals allowed) but has modestly improved over the first two months of 2024 (16.7 percent over the last 24 games). Washington's penalty kill ranks 13th in the NHL this season at an even 80 percent (opposing power plays are 35-for-175). The Caps have scored two shorthanded goals: one apiece by Wilson and McMichael.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Washington Capitals
The last time the Flyers played the Capitals, future Hockey Hall of Fame shoo-in Ovechkin was mired in the deepest offensive slump of his illustrious NHL career. Since that time, he's posted 27 points (11g with six on the power play, 16a) over his last 29 games.
Overall, Ovechkin (16g, 27a) is tied with Strome for the team scoring lead with 43 points this season. Look for him to skate on a line with Hendrix Lapierre (five goals, 10 points in 27 games) at 5-on-5 on Friday.
On the injury front, veteran winger and shootout ace Oshie (upper-body injury) remains unavailable to play. Per the Capitals' website, defenseman Martin Fehervary (lower body) and checking center Nic Dowd (upper body) were in non-contact jerseys and skated prior to the team's Thursday practice session. Both are day-to-day but doubtful for Friday's game against the Flyers.
For many years, the Capitals generated much of their offense through the playmaking artistry of Nicklas Bäckström and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The latter is on indefinite personal leave from the Capitals while undergoing treatment in the NHL's Player Assistance program. Bäckström, 36, will miss the entire season due to a chronic hip issue and is on long-term injured reserve.
Veteran offensive defenseman John Carlson, 34, still quarterbacks the Wasington power play from the right point and leads the blueline in points with 34 (4g, 30a). He's still a threat but has many fewer weapons around him.
Strome has 21 goals and 43 points. Veteran power forward Wilson, long one of the NHL's most feared and hated opponents, has 13 goals, 24 points, and 90 penalty minutes this season. He was excused from practice on Thursday to attend to a personal matter but is expected to be available to play on Friday.
The Capitals have split the goaltending duties evenly this season with Darcy Kuemper and Lindgren each starting 27 games apiece. Kuemper is 13-12-3 with a 3.15 GAA, .893 save percentage and one shutout to date. Lindgren is 12-9-5 with a 2.85 GAA, .908 save percentage and three shutouts to his credit.
