5 Reasons to watch Flyers-Capitals

The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals get back to work after the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend when they play at Capital One Arena in the Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).
After a slow start, the Capitals are back on top of the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers have rebounded from an early-season 10-game losing streak (0-5-5) and hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference; they are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games and three points out of second place in the division.

It's the second visit by the Flyers to Washington in 10 days. Philadelphia won 2-1 in overtime Jan. 21 and is 2-0-0 against the Capitals this season.
Here are 5 reasons to tune in:

Alex Ovechkin

Remember all the talk about how Ovechkin was slowing down after he scored "only" 33 goals last season? It's gone now. At age 32 and in his 13th NHL season, Ovechkin leads all scorers with 30 goals. No. 30 came against the Florida Panthers on Thursday and made him the third player in League history to reach the 30-goal mark in each of his first 13 NHL seasons, joining Hockey Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Mike Gartner. In the same game, Ovechkin got his 500th assist; he's the fourth active player with 500 goals and 500 assists (Patrick Marleau, Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr). Ovechkin is on pace for his eighth 50-goal season and is 12 goals away from 600 for his career. He's done well against the Flyers, with 32 goals and 53 points in 47 games.

John Carlson

The Capitals took some big hits on defense during the offseason losing Karl Alzner to the Montreal Canadiens and Kevin Shattenkirk to the New York Rangers in free agency after Nate Schmidt was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion Draft. Carlson has stepped up in their absence. With 38 points (seven goals, 31 assists) in 49 games, Carlson is on pace for his best offensive season, and he's averaging an NHL career-high 26:07 of ice time, fifth in the League and 3:24 per game more than last season.

Claude Giroux

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol moved Giroux, a center, to left wing this season. So far, so good. Philadelphia's captain reached the All-Star break with 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists), one fewer than he had all last season. He also has a plus-7 rating after finishing minus-15 last season. His production has jumped since Hakstol moved Wayne Simmonds on to the first line with Giroux and Sean Couturier, who has Giroux's former spot in the middle. Giroux is on pace to exceed his NHL career-high 93-point season in 2011-12 and is back among the elite players in the NHL. He's a point-a-game player against Washington during his career (36 points in 35 games).

Sean Couturier

Couturier has proved that he's more than just a checking center. He asked Hakstol for more offensive responsibilities this season and has come through with NHL career highs in goals (26) and points (49) -- big numbers for a player who had never put up more than 15 goals or 39 points in any of his first six seasons. Couturier hasn't forgotten his defensive responsibilities; he's tops on the Flyers with a plus-16 rating.

Goaltending

Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth have taken different career paths since they helped Hershey, the Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate, win the Calder Cup in 2009 and 2010. Holtby eventually won the starting job in Washington and is on pace for his fourth straight 40-win season; he's 25-9-2 in 36 games, though his goals-against average (2.66) is up from 2.07 last season and his save percentage (.917) is under .920 for the first time since 2013-14. Neuvirth is in his third season with the Flyers after stints with the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. With Brian Elliott placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Neuvirth (5-6-1, 2.46 GAA, .918 save percentage) is likely to get the start against his former team. He's 1-1-0 with a 3.14 GAA against them.