The Philadelphia Flyers season has taken a turn for the better (or worse, depending on which lens you’re looking through). With wins in four of their last five games, one of them coming against a playoff team in the Los Angeles Kings and a team in the Buffalo Sabres who won 8 of their previous 10 competitions. Now, they start their home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, with most of those wins coming against non-playoff teams. However, wins are wins. Over the last five games, Alex Ovechkin leads the team in goals and points, both of which are at six. Evgeny Kuznetsov is tied with those numbers with six assists.
In their previous game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson made their season debuts, and Darcy Kuemper had a 38-save shutout to secure the 1-0 victory.
The Capitals sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 23-14-6, while the Flyers sit seventh in the division with a 16-18-7 record.
Players to Watch
Travis Konecny
Despite Kevin Hayes being voted into the all-star game, Travis Konecny has been the best Flyer up to this point. He registered two assists in the team’s win against the Sabres, and is currently sitting on a nine-game point streak, with seven of those nine games having two points or more.
Erik Gustafsson
For those that may not remember, Erik Gustafsson was a Flyer for one season at the beginning of 2020-21. After a short stint in Montreal and his second in Chicago, he’s in Washington and has been one of the best defensemen in their core. He leads the defense in points with 25 in 42 games played. He has two assists in the two games this season that the Capitals have played the Flyers.
Alex Ovechkin
What is a game against the Capitals without being on Ovechkin goal watch? In the first two games against the Flyers, he scored three goals, including the overtime winner in the first matchup, and now, Wayne Gretzky is the only person standing in his way at the top. It’s always fun to watch the greatest goal-scorer of all-time play, and who knows whether or not he’ll be able to increase his total by the end of the night.
How to Watch
The game will be available to watch on NBC Sports Philadelphia, with puck drop happening at 7:00 pm ET. The winner of this game will take the lead in the season series.
