Flyers stay red-hot, win seventh-straight in 5-2 win over Capitals

The Flyers may never lose another game.

Ten different players registered points as the Flyers took down the Capitals by a 5-2 final Wednesday night in Washington, winning their seventh-straight game.

Brian Elliott was excellent between the pipes for the Flyers, who used three second period goals followed by a pair in the third to pull within a point of first-place in the Metropolitan Division behind these same Capitals.

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Early action for the Flyers’ penalty kill against the potent Capitals’ power play, but quick work was made of the Scott Laughton minor as Brian Elliott erased the only scoring chance his way.

After Laughton’s penalty less than two minutes in both teams settled into a rather tight checking first 10 minutes as the playoff-like atmosphere was evident between the Metropolitan Division’s top two teams.

A strong shift from the Caps would result in their second power play of the night with 8:05 left in the first with Justin Braun off for holding.

Also JVR hurt his hand, which: not great.

Washington would again come away empty on the man-advantage, but would soon break through.

Lars Eller took a pretty feed from Richard Panik and deposited one past Elliott to give the Caps a 1-0 lead with 5:51 left in the period. Eller beat Derek Grant to the open ice in front of the Flyers net and the rest was history.

Late in the frame the Flyers would get their first power play with Tom Wilson off for an extra minor following a scrap with Nate Thompson with 2:55 left.

Nothing was doing for the Orange and Black, though, and they’d trail 1-0 after 20.

Early power play for the Flyers to start the period but Braden Holtby came up with a pair of saves on Nicolas Aube-Kubel and then Kevin Hayes to maintain the Caps’ lead.

But the Flyers would go right back on the power play as Garnet Hathaway would go off for high-sticking Travis Sanheim as the Flyers’ power play was given extended time to try and find an equalizer.

A mad scramble in front of Holtby almost gave the Flyers their time game, but the refs couldn’t determine whether the puck definitively crossed the line.

Not long after the Flyers would get their conclusive goal as Travis Konecny pounded home a rebound off an Ivan Provorov point shot to even things up at 1-1 with 12:54 left in the period.

Pretty dumb penalty for new Capital Brenden Dillon to take with a little over seven minutes left in the second as he let Laughton get under his skin after a hit near the blue line.

The Flyers didn’t score on the power play, but did find a go-ahead goal just after it expired thanks to an awesome play from Derek Grant.

Grant kicked the puck over to Kevin Hayes for the goal to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead with just over five minutes left. Super skilled play from the Flyers’ newest addition, and one paying immediate dividends after being acquired at the trade deadline.

But the Flyers weren’t done scoring in the second just yet as Tyler Pitlick beat Holtby with 2:55 left to push the lead to 3-1. Michael Raffl started the rush and slid the puck over perfectly to Pitlick to easily beat Holtby and extend the Flyers’ lead late in the second.

The two-goal lead would not last long, though, as Hathaway pulled the Caps within one with a quick snap shot over the shoulder of Elliott to make it 3-2 heading into the third. Laughton turned the puck over at the Caps’ blue line and they raced the other way to take advantage of the mistake.

We now stan Robert Hagg for the following.

Raffl would give the Caps a power play early in the third with what we’d guess was a make up call for the Flyers getting four power plays in the second. Good thing the Flyers killed it off with ease because man was that a crappy make-up call.

Ivan Provorov would give the Flyers the two-goal lead back with a perfectly placed wrist shot past Holtby to make it 4-2 with 13:24 left in regulation. He found the open ice, Jakub Voracek hit him with the pass and Provorov did not miss the target for his 12th of the season.

Still not done and aiming to match their 7-2 win in D.C. a few weeks ago, the Flyers would add a fifth goal to the board as Laughton picks up his 13th of the year to make it 5-2 after he banked one off a Caps skate in front.

Laughton’s tally would put the bow on a 5-2 win for the Flyers, marking their seventh-straight win and pulling them ever closer to first-place in the Metro behind the Caps.