Weekes' pluses, minuses for Flyers, Capitals

The Washington Capitals are chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. They haven't played since last Tuesday, a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, after home games last Friday and Sunday were postponed because of the weather. And you can bet they will want to enter the All-Star break with another win after an amazing and record-setting first half of the season.
It's not Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom who leads them in scoring -- it's Evgeny Kuznetsov (15 goals, 48 points), who's in his second full season in the League.

Though the Capitals will be competing for the Presidents' Trophy in the second half of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers will be trying to string together wins and make a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Flyers (20-18-8) visit the Capitals (35-8-3) at Verizon Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN). Here's my breakdown of the game:
Flyers
Pluses: Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is carrying this team. He had an assist in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday and has helped change the Flyers offensively and defensively. Their upswing has coincided with him coming abroad. He has rejuvenated Claude Giroux, and has made their offensive game and power play more dynamic. It gives them an option in a player they haven't had in a long time. Gostisbehere could be someone who helps alter the course of this franchise. His skill is that good.
As I said, Giroux looks reengaged. He has seven points in six games. Not only is he a skilled star, but Giroux is a very competitive star. He's not afraid to get physical; he likes when the heat in the game gets turned up. I can see a different hop in his step that he is bringing now. He's the captain and you could tell that he was down on their team but is playing with more of that edge that we have seen when he has been one of the League's best.
They've wanted to be better defensively under Dave Hakstol, and the goalies have been good. Steve Mason has been good, but Michal Neuvirth has been amazing in his role.
Minuses: Despite the presence of Gostisbehere, their defense is very thin. We know that they have some defensive prospects that they are banking on, but they are still thin right now.
Jakub Voracek's offense is nowhere near where it can be. He has six goals and 34 points; last season, he finished fourth with 22 goals and 81 points.
The Flyers are in the midst of a reset, which is not always easy to do. However, the good news for them is they're in the Eastern Conference so they may be able to make the playoffs as a wild card.
Capitals
Pluses: They are the most consistent team in the League. They are the best threat in the Eastern Conference to challenge the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings for the Stanley Cup.
The Capitals can win games many ways. If the game gets physical, they can play a heavy game. If the game gets nasty, they have guys who can fight. They can play a speed game. If you open up the game too fast against them, you are going to get fried. This is a testament to their coaching staff.
Every night, there are different contributors. It's not always Ovechkin, Backstrom and Braden Holtby. They have good depth players led by Jason Chimera. He can play up and down the lineup from first line to fourth line, from power play to penalty kill.
Then they bring in Justin Williams, who has the best Game 7 record in history. He turns up the heat and delivers the bigger the stage.
You have to give general manager Brian MacLellan credit for trading for T.J. Oshie (15 goals, 28 points). He's skilled enough to play with the top guys and opens up space for them. He has been an even better fit than I thought.
A tip of the hat to coach Barry Trotz. It's an amazing full circle for him, for all that he meant to the Nashville Predators franchise to be in Nashville this weekend for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star game.
Minuses: The main negative for them is the injury bug, evidenced by being without defensemen Brooks Orpik and John Carlson for quite some time. And this group has some new players, so they are learning as they go along this season. The question is, how will they be able to handle adversity when it hits them?
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Which Flyers team shows up? Is it going to be the skilled Flyers, or are they going to resort to being overly physical? If it's the latter it will be a long night for them.
2. Which defensive pairing will match up against the Ovechkin line?
3. Do they Flyers treat this like it's a measuring stick game? They are in a dogfight to try and get in a wild-card spot. They are going to have to earn it.