5 THINGS: Flyers vs. Capitals

GAME NOTES
Interim head coach Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (15-24-9) begin an eight-game homestand on Thursday with a game against Peter Laviolette's Washington Capitals (27-15-9). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET (NBCSP, 97.5 The Fanatic).

This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season and the first of two in Philadelphia. The teams will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on the afternoon of Feb. 26 before the season series concludes at Capital One Arena on April 12.
Back on Nov. 6, the Flyers improved their early season record to 6-2-2 when they skated to a 2-1 road win over the Capitals. The Flyers played an outstanding opening 40 minutes and then hung on to receive outstanding goaltending the rest of the way Second period goals by Derick Brassard (2nd) and Sean Couturier (5th) held up. Martin Jones turned back 31 of 32 shots including 14 of 15 in a fast-and-furious third period. The Capitals dropped to 5-2-4 with the loss.
Since that time, the Flyers have gone 9-22-7 including regulation, overtime or shootout defeats in 16 of the last 18 games. The Capitals have posted a 22-13-5 record since they last played the Flyers.
On Tuesday, the Flyers took a 4-2 lead into the third period against the host Pittsburgh Penguins. Midway through the third period, the Flyers gave up power play and even strength goals spaced just 18 seconds apart. In overtime, Kris Letang scored on a 2-on-1 counterattack on the first shift to send the Flyers to a 5-4 loss. Claude Giroux (16th goal of the season), Scott Laughton (10th), Nick Seeler (1st) and Justin Braun (4th) tallied goals for the Flyers.
In the meantime, the Capitals enter this game coming off a 4-1 road win over the Nashville Predators. Alex Ovechkin notched power play and even strength goals (30th and 31st of the season) to seal the win after the Capitals took a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Joe Snively (3rd) and Nick Jensen (4th) scored Washington's first and second goals respectively. Ilya Samsonov stopped 33 of 34 shots to earn the win.
Here are five things to watch in this game:
1. Jones Gets the Start
Martin Jones (6-9-2. 3.56 GAA, .901 save percentage) will get the start in net for the Flyers. He last played on January 25, allowing four goals on 33 shots in the team's 4-3 road loss to the New York Islanders.
Jones' most recent home appearance was in the Flyers' 3-2 overtime loss (44 saves on 47 shots) to his former team, the San Jose Sharks, on Jan.8. Jones' last win came in the Flyers' 3-2 overtime win against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 29. The netminder turned back 34 of 36 shots in that game.
For Washington, Vitek Vanecek (10-6-5, 2.39 GAA, .915 save percentage, two shutouts) has been out with an upper-body injury and may be ready to return for this game. If he's not ready, Samsonov (16-7-3, 2.83 GAA, .906 SV%, three shutouts) may get the start for the fourth straight game. As of this writing, the Capitals also still have Pheonix Copley (2GP) on the active roster.
2. Hot Streak for Laughts
Flyers center Scott Laughton brings a six-game point streak into this match. In that span, he has posted four goals, four assists and eight points. Laughton has scored a goal in three straight games.
The Flyers expect to have winger Gerry Mayhew back in the lineup for this game after he missed Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh due to swelling around his eye stemming from an awkward crash in last Saturday's game in Detroit. Isaac Ratcliffe moved up from the fourth to third line in Mayhew's absence last game.
Rasmus Ristolainen (upper-body injury) remains on IR. The defense pairings are expected to be the same against Washington as they were in the games against the Red Wings and Penguins.
Projected Flyers lineup (subject to change)
23 Oskar Lindblom - 28 Claude Giroux - 89 Cam Atkinson
25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Travis Konecny
71 Max Willman - 48 Morgan Frost - 20 Gerry Mayhew
76 Isaac Ratcliffe - 82 Connor Bunnaman - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 24 Nick Seeler
3 Keith Yandle - 8 Kevin Connauton
35 Martin Jones
[79 Carter Hart]
3. Inside the Numbers
In the game against Pittsburgh, the veterans comprising the Flyers' top six forwards and the top end of the blueline handled their matchups well overall. The bottom six group, comprised of callups from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and the third defensive pairing, struggled. Crucial Pittsburgh goals (the ones that tied the score at 1-1 and 4-4) were scored with the fourth and then the third Flyers lines on the ice.
Plain and simple, the Flyers cannot get manhandled in mismatches again if they are to have a chance at upsetting the Capitals.

At 5-on-5, the Capitals are +27 (114 GF/ 87 GA) this season, while the Flyers are -19 (85GF/ 104 GA). Washington's power play has been a disappointment this season (15.8 percent, ranked 27th in the NHL), especially relative to their usual standards. The absence of playmaking center Nicklas Bäckström (18 GP, 14 points) for much of the 2021-22 season has been most noticeable on the man advantage. It's worth noting that Washington has scored a power play goal in each of the last two games heading into the game in Philadelphia.
Dating back to Jan. 1, the Flyers are just 6-for-51 (11.8 percent, ranked 29th in that span) on the power play. An equally problematic issue: Over the first 31 games of this season, the Flyers' penalty was a respectable 81.8 percent (ranked 11th). From Jan. 1 onward, however, the PK has crashed and burned (16 PPGA on 44 opportunities, ranking dead last in the NHL at 63.6 percent).
4. Behind Enemy Lines: Washington Capitals
The Capitals produced a solid overall performance in the win over Nashville on Tuesday. Overall, the Capitals have played inconsistent hockey in recent weeks. The team is 5-5-0 in the last 10 games and 2-3-0 across the last five games.They've actually been better on the road (four straight wins) than on home ice (five straight losses) of late.
Perennial Rocket Richard Trophy candidate Alex Ovechkin enters this game two tallies behind Chris Kreider and Leon Draisaitl (33 goals apiece) in the race for top goal-scoring honors in the National Hockey League this season. With 62 points, Ovechkin is four points behind Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Jonathan Huberdeau (66 points apiece) in the Art Ross Trophy battle. In 64 career regular season games against the Flyers, Ovechkin has compiled 42 goals and 71 points.
Evgeny Kuznetsov is averaging one point per game this season, posting 48 points (15g, 33a) in 48 games played. He's followed by veteran offensive defenseman John Carlson (9g, 29a, 38 points), Tom Wilson (15g, 19g, 34 assists, 63 PIM, 139 credited hits), defenseman Dmitry Orlov (7g, 16a, 23 points), winger Conor Sheary (11g, 11a, 22 points), Lars Eller (8g, 14a, 22 points), and Garnet Hathaway (8g, 8a, 35 PIM, team-high 162 credited hits).
Bäckström returned to the Capitals' lineup back on Jan. 15. Over his last 10 games, the veteran Swedish center has posted three goals and five assists for eight points.
Defenseman Martin Fehervary (19:30 TOI) leads the blueline with 139 credited hits and is second in blocked shots (72) behind Trevor van Riemsdyk (83).
Capitals Projected Lineup (subject to change)
8 Alex Ovechkin - 92 Evgeny Kuznetsov - 43 Tom Wilson
91 Joe Snively - 19 Nicklas Bäckström - 73 Conor Sheary
24 Connor McMichael - 20 Lars Eller - 10 Daniel Sprong
62 Carl Hagelin - 26 Nic Dowd - 21 Garnet Hathaway
42 Martin Fehervary - 74 John Carlson
9 Dmitry Orlov - 3 Nick Jensen
57 Trevor van Riemsdyk - 2 Justin Schultz
41 Vitek Vanecek
30 Ilya Samsonov
5. Players to Watch: Konecny and Snively
Travis Konecny was flying around the ice throughout Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh, beating defenders one-on-one and creating scoring chances. He has a four-game point streak (1g, 3a) entering this game.
Joe Snively has collected three goals and four points over the last three games. He has posted six points (3g, 3a) since joining the NHL team on Feb. 2 from the AHL's Hershey Bears. The 26-year-old Snively posted 38 points (15g, 23a) in 35 games for Hershey prior to his recall.