Postgame 5: Flyers Falter After Strong Start, Lose 5-2 to Caps

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Washington Capitals, 5-2, at Capital One Arena in DC on Friday evening. The Flyers had a strong start, as they took a 2-0 lead into the second period and then yielded five unanswered goals.

The Capitals (28-22-9) moved within four points of the third place Flyers (31-23-7) in the Metropolitan Division standings. The Flyers missed the net on 18 shot attempts and got blocked on another 22 shot attempts.

Dylan Strome enjoyed a three-point game for Washington with a goal and two assists. Alex Ovechkin, Sonny Milano, and Anthony Mantha (power play) also scored for Washington. Tom Wilson, Hendrix Lapierre and Max Pacioretty collected two assists apiece.

In a losing cause, Owen Tippett scored a power play goal and an assist for the Flyers. Bobby Brink, who was later benched late in the second period and throughout the third period, had an even strength goal. Morgan Frost, registering the 100th point of his NHL career, had a pair of assists. Egor Zamula chipped in one helper.

Brink bailed out his own turnover in the defensive zone by opening the scoring at the other end of the ice for a 1-0 lead at 1:52 of the first period. After the Brink turnover, Samuel Ersson made a good save on Aliajsei Protas. Owen Tippett jumped on a loose puck and sped off in transition, joined by Frost. Charlie Lindgren made an excellent sliding save on Frost but Brink (9th goal of the season) picked up the loose change and scored into a wide open net. The assists went to Frost and Tippett.

On their second power play of the game, the Flyers started out slowly.  As the Flyers switched units, the Caps penalty killers attacked Frost along the right side boards. Frost beat the pressure with a pass back to Zamula. With the left side of the ice open, Zamula rotated the puck to Tippett. Taking a downhill stride, Tippett snapped off a quick shot (PPG, 22nd goal of the season) into the net with Joel Farabee screening. The assists went to Zamula and Frost (100th career NHL point).

The Capitals cut the gap to 2-1 at 4:34 of the second period. Sean Couturier lost a defensive zone left circle draw to Lapierre. Wilson got the puck to Ovechkin (17th), who immediately fired off a shot into the net.

The Flyers paid the price for a sloppy shift leading up to Washington tying the score at 2-2 at the 9:55 mark of the second period. Philly temporarily dodged a bullet. However, a Sean Walker clearing attempt went off Pacioretty's shinpad and over to Milano. Milano (7th goal of the season) then flipped the puck over Ersson into the net.

At 17:45 of the second period, Washington took a 3-2 lead. Carlson (5th goal of the season) scored after sequence that saw him go around the net and score on a Hendrix Lapierre rebound. The assists went to Lapierre and Rasmus Sandin.

Washington established a 4-2 lead with a power play goal at 6:04 of the third period. Cam York retrieved a dump-in behind the net and tried to send the puck around the boards. Instead, he turned it over to Wilson. Moments later, Strome fed a wide open Mantha (PPG, 19th) in the low slot for a goal.

The Capitals made it 5-2 at 15:38 of the third period. After Sean Couturier was denied on a golden scoring opportunity, the Capitals countered the other way. Ersson stopped Pacioretty on an initial shot, Strome (22nd) scored on the rebound.

Ersson took the loss in goal, stopping 16 of 21 shots. Lindgren earned the win with 24 saves on 26 shots.

The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Capitals were also 1-for-3.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 71 Tyson Foerster
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 10 Bobby Brink
27 Noah Cates - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
44 Nicolas Deslauriers- 14 Sean Couturier - 62 Olle Lycksell

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
5 Egor Zamula - 18 Marc Staal

33 Samuel Ersson
[32 Felix Sandström]

TURNING POINT

The sequence leading up to Washington's second goal was symbolic of how the final 40 minutes went for the Flyers. Early in the shift, an area pass attempt by Poehling went awry. Subsequently, Cates had the puck taken away in the neutral zone.

The Flyers seemed to dodge a bullet as Ersson denied Pacioretty as he moved in one-on-one against the goalie. However, shortly thereafter, Walker turned over a clearing attempt and Milano scored on a nice shot. The Flyers never led again.

On the game-winning goal by Carlson, the Flyers got caught out on a long shift, missing a potential chance to change.

POSTGAME 5

1)  The Flyers had three of the game's first five shots on goal, including the rebound goal by Brink. 

The Flyers went on the game's first power play at 3:35 of the first period as Dylan Strome was tripping Farabee in the Caps' defensive zone. On the ensuing man advantage, Tippett ripped a one-timer on net from the right hash marks off a pass from Farabee. Later, Brink put a center point shot on net with traffic in front that was gloved down by Lindgren.

Longtime Capital Hathaway received a warm ovation from the Capital One Arena crowd at the first TV timeout. Through 6:35, shots on goal were 6-2 Flyers.

For several minutes, scrambly play and bouncing pucks were abound. As the period passed the halfway point, there was a mass scramble for a loose puck near the Flyers' net. Ersson made two saves.

Tom Wilson tripped Poehling just inside the Philly blueline at 16:47. The Flyers went back to the power play. Lycksell put an unscreened perimeter shot on goal for a routine save. Tippett cashed in for a 2-0 lead at 18:24. 

2) First period shots on goal were 11-5 Flyers. Shot attempts were 26-11 Flyers. Scoring chances were 8-6  Flyers. High-danger scoring chances were tied at 3-3, according to Natural Stat Trick. Faceoffs were 15-11 Flyers (led by Frost's 4-for-5).

3)  Brink sent Tippett on a partial breakaway early in the second period. Lindgren made the save at 2:17.  At 4:32, Ersson gloved a Trevor van Riemsdyk point shot for a stoppage. Right off the next draw, Ovechkin scored over the pad and below the glove. On the ensuing center ice faceoff,  the Flyers sent out Poehling with wingers Tippett and Brink. 

The Tippett-Frost-Brink line hemmed Washington in their defensive zone. The Capitals iced the puck at 8:14. Shortly past the 9:30 mark, Max Pacioretty moved in one-on-one with Ersson. The goalie made the save but Milano scored later in the shift to tie the score at 2-2.

The Capitals went on their first power play at 10:56. York tripped Connor McMichael behind the Flyers' net. The Flyers killed it off with authority. 

Philly went back to the power play at 14:49. Pacioretty was sent off for boarding Deslauriers. Frost, Zamula and Tippett worked the puck around, and Tippett fired a shot on net from up high. Lindgren made the save without a rebound. After play went back to 5-on-5, Brink nearly scored off a Couturier setup.

With 2:15 left in the period, Carlson put the Capitals ahead.

4) Second period shots on goal were 9-5 Capitals (16-14 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 15-14 Flyers (29-21 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 7-6 Capitals (13-11 Capitals overall). High-danger scoring chances were 5-2 Capitals (8-5 Capitals overall). Faceoffs were 11-8 Capitals (23-22 Flyers overall).

5) Sanheim broke up a developing Lapierre scoring chance in the opening minute of the third period. On the next shift, Ersson denied Strome from the left circle.

With Brink on the bench, Tortorella sent Frost out on the left wing with Couturier and Tippett. Two shifts later, the Laughton line generated good puck possession but struggled to put a shot on net. Brink and Lycksell remained on the bench as the period progressed.

At 5:39, Walker tried to play an aerial puck in the Washington zone and was called for high-sticking ex-Flyer Nicolas Aube-Kubel. The Flyers were unable to kill this penalty and fell behind by two goals.

Former teammates Hathaway and Wilson tangled before a faceoff in the Philadelphia zone. Both players received roughing double minors.  

Lindgren made a great save in close on Couturier in the final five minutes of the third period. As play moved the other way, Washington made it 5-2 at 15:38.

Walker returned to the penalty box on an interference minor against Pacioretty at 18:21.

Third period shots on goal were 10-7 Flyers (26-21 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 25-13 Flyers (54-35  overall). Scoring chances were 8-8 (22-19 Capitals overall). High-danger scoring chances were 3-2 Flyers (11-8 Capitals overall). Faceoffs were 8-8 (23-22 Flyers 31-30 Flyers overall).