Voracek, Flyers defeat Capitals in overtime

WASHINGTON -- It seemed like the Philadelphia Flyers were finding ways to lose their previous three games. On Wednesday, they found a way to win.
Jakub Voracek scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Flyers to a 4-3 victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center, ending their three-game losing streak in each team's final game before the All-Star break.

Voracek maintained possession against Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov below the goal line, came out in front on the left side of the net and roofed a shot over goalie Braden Holtby's left shoulder 38 seconds into overtime for his eighth goal.
"The last three games, we find a way to lose the games," Voracek said. "We've just got to make sure that we keep it in the same line, don't get too high, don't get too low, and try to make the playoffs."
Brayden Schenn and Ryan White scored for the Flyers (21-18-8). Goalie Michal Neuvirth made 27 saves in his first regular-season game against his former team, and Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux each had two assists.
"It feels really good," Neuvirth said. "We played such a good road game right from the start. We were ready for them, and it was a great team effort for the win."
Andre Burakovsky scored two goals, Nicklas Backstrom had one, and Holtby made 28 saves for the Capitals (35-8-4), who lost at home for the first time since Nov. 19.

The Flyers are 8-4 in games that ended in overtime; the Capitals are 3-3.
"Before this game, we lost three in a row, but I think we liked the way we were playing and just didn't get the results we wanted," Giroux said. "We're playing the right way and we can't get frustrated when we don't get the results. Just got to be patient with it and wait for our chances."
The Flyers' losing streak began Jan. 19, when the Toronto Maple Leafs scored the game-winning goal with 7.5 seconds left in the third period. Two nights later, they blew a 2-0 lead in a 4-3 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins. On Monday, the Boston Bruins scored the game-winner with 1:54 remaining.
The Capitals had not played since a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 19, the result of two games being postponed by the winter storm that hit the East Coast last week.
"You have to realize that there was going to be rust on our blades and on our hands and the way we think," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We did a decent job for 10 minutes, and then it sort of blew up on us."
Holtby, who had never been called for two penalties in a season, was whistled for tripping and delay of game in the second period, but Philadelphia was unable to capitalize on either power play.
"I've never got called for that ever before and I play that way all the time," Holty said of the tripping penalty. "I play on the puck. It's kind of the unwritten rule, is we get bumped into all the time in order to create goals, and all we get out of it is maybe an accidental interference and a goal called back; there's never a penalty."
Schenn scored on the power play at 4:54 of the first period to give the Flyers a 1-0- lead. He buried a pass from forward Wayne Simmonds from the slot for his 12th goal.
White scored at 11:11 of the first to put the Flyers ahead 2-0. Kuznetsov attempted to send a backhand pass across the ice, but White intercepted it and scored on Holtby from the high slot for his fifth goal.
"We got the start that we needed," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "Maybe we were able to take advantage of a little bit of the eight-day break that they were on, but we had to take advantage of that and we did. From there, it was back and forth. I thought both teams left it all out on the ice."
The Capitals went 9:42 without a shot on goal in the first period, when the Flyers had a 12-6 edge in shots.
Burakovsky scored at 7:39 of the second period to make it 2-1. Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt stole the puck from Flyers forward Sam Gagner and sent it to Burakovsky in the high slot for a wrist shot past Neuvirth's glove.
Backstrom tied the game 55 seconds later. Capitals forward T.J. Oshie skated the puck into the Flyers zone and waited in the corner for a lane to open. Backstrom was on the receiving end and beat Neuvirth from the slot for his 16th of the season.
"We had chances," Backstrom said. "We could've won that game. But it's tough, that's the way it happens."
Voracek restored the Flyers lead with 2:21 left in the second. Moments after Holtby made a desperate save without his stick, Giroux won the faceoff in the Capitals zone, and Voracek scored on a set play.

Burakovsky scored his second goal of the game to tie it 3-3 at 3:55 of the third period. On the rush, Kuznetsov sent a pass across the goal mouth, and Burakovsky buried it.
Burakovsky has five goals and 11 points in his past 12 games after he had two and eight in his first 32.
Capitals forward Marcus Johansson left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
After the game, the Capitals announced forward Alex Ovechkin will miss the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Nashville on Sunday (5 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA Sports, SN) because of a lower-body injury. He had six shots and five hits in 19:58 of ice time.