The Philadelphia Flyers (1-4-1) will face the Washington Capitals (4-1-0) again tonight in the nation’s capital to cap off a home-and-home series. Last night, the Capitals defeated the Flyers 4-1 in Philadelphia.
In their first two home games of the new season, the Flyers have scored only one goal. Travis Sanheim found the back of the net yesterday for the first time this season.
Tyson Foerster and Jett Luchanko were healthy scratches for the Flyers yesterday, with Noah Cates and Nicolas Deslauriers drawing into the lineup. Cates recorded 11:31 of ice time in his second game of the year, and Deslauriers recorded 6:01 of ice time and a fight in his season debut. Defenseman Nick Seeler also made his season debut after returning from injury. He recorded 15:30 of ice time and was paired alongside Jamie Drysdale.
Philadelphia Flyers
John Tortorella and the Flyers will hope to forget about Tuesday’s loss and continue pushing forward. Puck luck hasn’t been on the Flyers’ side since Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks, and it’s showing. The Flyers look frustrated offensively and it’s resulted in five straight losses.
Philly recorded only 18 shots on net yesterday and Sanheim was the only player to light the lamp. Bobby Brink was close to potting his second goal of the season, but Charlie Lindgren robbed him on the doorstep.
On the powerplay, Philadelphia’s woes continued. The Capitals’ penalty kill prevented the home team from being able to set themselves up in the offensive zone, they took away passing lanes, and were aggressive on the puck which led to them scoring two shorthanded goals. The Flyers’ powerplay looked messy yesterday after a strong start in the opening games. The units will need to regroup quickly to prevent Tuesday’s outcome from happening again.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals are off to a hot start this year. Dylan Strome currently leads the team with eight points (3G, 5A) and picked up an assist yesterday. Tom Wilson is also starting hot and is now in the conversation to join Team Canada for the Four Nations Face-Off. Wilson has five goals in five games played so far.
New addition Andrew Mangiapane scored one of the shorthanded goals for the Capitals yesterday. It was Mangiapane’s second goal of the year and his first game-winner with his new team. He was acquired by the Capitals via trade from the Calgary Flames in June.
Jakob Chychrun has also been a positive addition to the Capitals’ blue line. The 26-year-old scored one goal in last night’s win over the Flyers while adding 19:28 of ice time. Chychrun was acquired by Washington on July 1 from the Ottawa Senators.
Betting Guide
*Bets are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Philadelphia Flyers moneyline (+125)
Washington Capitals moneyline (-150)
Matvei Michkov +2 points (+400)
Dylan Strome +3 shots on goal (+132)
How to Watch: Flyers vs Capitals
You can watch the Flyers take on the Capitals tonight on TNT. The radio broadcast will be available on 97.5 The Fanatic and Flyers Radio 24/7. The puck drops from Capital One Arena at 7:00 p.m
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
