If they win, they’re in.
Well, terms and conditions do apply. However, the approach is still the same. The Philadelphia Flyers (38-32-11) must take care of business in regulation versus the Washington Capitals (39-31-11). In addition, they’ll need some other favorable outcomes across the NHL, too.
- The Philadelphia Flyers must win in regulation, and the Montreal Canadiens must defeat the Detroit Red Wings in regulation.
- The Philadelphia Flyers must win in regulation, and the New York Islanders must defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in regulation.
In 2023-2024, the Flyers were the cockroaches of the NHL. They should be dead, but they’re alive, surviving to see another day in hopes of an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff berth. If Philadelphia does its job at the Wells Fargo Center, everything will be up to the Hockey Gods.
Washington Capitals
In this tight race for an NHL Wildcard spot, the Capitals approached their last two games with a sound, clean form. Washington won their final two home games of the regular season, taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins in succession. Spencer Carbery couldn’t hold back a smile as he reflected on his team’s road to get to this position where their playoff fate rides tonight at the Wells Fargo Center:
“It’s been the character of the group since October. Just finding ways to win in all different ways. You could go back through the eighty-one; even early in the year when we were trying to find our footing, and then we got some wins. I even think of our first win here against Calgary; we were under siege. They must’ve had forty-five shots, and we found a way to grind that out, winning the shootout. There’s so many different moments when this team has shown its true character throughout this year of finding different ways to win and when our backs were against the wall and our season was on the brink in multiple situations.”
Spencer Carbery; 4/15/2024
John Carlson scored the game-winner versus the Bruins. In 29:33, Carlson took four shots on goal, forced a takeaway, recorded a hit, and blocked a shot. Carlson tallied four points (2G, 2A) in his last five games. He squared off against the Flyers twice this season, scoring in the Capitals’ only victory, 5-2, on March 1st.
“We’ve been through some ups-and-downs this year. We’ve grinded our way to this point, and we’re excited for the opportunity to get it done tomorrow.”
John Carlson; 4/15/2024
Here’s the tentative lineup for the Washington Capitals:
Ovechkin-McMichael-Oshie
Protas-Strome-Wilson
Pacioretty-Lapierre-Milano
Malenstyn-Dowd-Aube Kubel
Fehervary-Carlson
Alexeyev-McIlrath
van Riemsdyk-Iorio
Lindgren
(Kuemper)
Philadelphia Flyers
Similarly, Philadelphia realigned their structure after an eight-game losing streak. They’ve defeated the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils in succession; the first times the Flyers defeated an NHL Metropolitan Division opponent in the 2024 calendar year. John Tortorella prepared his team to handle their business first, blocking out all the other noise around the NHL regarding postseason implications:
“I didn’t have a meeting today. [They] had practiced really well yesterday. Nothing needs to be said. I’m proud of the team. That was my message prior to the Rangers game; let’s just be proud of ourselves, and get this to Tuesday and see where we go. I’m proud of the team, how they’ve handled himself, even through some of the bumps we’ve had at the end of the year. They’ve stayed together and they’ve tried to figure it out, and now they get to play game eighty-two; that means something.”
John Tortorella; 4/16/2024
Cam York was efficient in cycling the puck on the powerplay versus the Devils with Tyson Foerster, but Philadelphia finished 0/3 on the man advantage. In 25:29, York took three shots on goal. York, according to Tortorella, has one of the most active sticks in the defensive unit, and he’ll have to stick to Alexander Ovechkin like glue with postseason hopes on the line. In his last five games, York totaled two points (1G, 1A), but hasn’t produced a point versus Washington this season.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, per Jordan Hall:
Foerster-Poehling-Konecny
Tippett-Frost-Brink
Cates-Couturier-Hathaway
Farabee-Laughton-Atkinson
York-Sanheim
Seeler-Drysdale
Zamula-Johnson
Ersson
(Fedotov)
Place Your Bets (via Draft Kings Sportsbook)
Washington Capitals (+114)
Philadelphia Flyers (-135)
John Carlson over .5pt (-150)
John Carlson anytime goal (+425)
Cam York over 2.5 blocked shots (+135)
Game Information
Watch the Philadelphia Flyers host the Washington Capitals on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Listen to the radio broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic. The puck drops at 7pm.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
