The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Washington Capitals 4-3 last night. Ahead of the game, it was announced that Ivan Fedotov would get the start on the net. Head coach John Tortorella praised Sam Ersson in the OT loss to Utah and the GK will be utilized Saturday before heading into the 4 Nations Faceoff break.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier still wouldn’t be in the lineup because the plane was canceled. Yes, you read that correctly. Due to the weather, the aircraft was not going to take off, so a week after the trade was announced, the teams’ two newest players are now stuck in Canada.
Flyers vs Capitals recap
In the first frame, the Flyers were actually playing some really strong hockey against this red-hot Capitals team. Matvei Michkov started off the scoring with under three minutes left of the opening period, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Their Russian star, Alex Ovechkin, tied up the contest for the Capitals with under a minute remaining of the first frame. The Flyers’ lead didn’t last for long, as the contest was all tied up 1-1.
In the early stages of the second frame Connor McMichael gave Washington their first lead of the contest. The goal just ended up getting past Fedotov, which happens. The good news is that Philadelphia was able to tie up the contest on the power play. The Flyers are one of the worst teams in the NHL in this area, but Tyson Foerster was able to score with the extra man advantage, making it a 2-2 game.
A little over the halfway point of the match, Michkov scored his second goal, but it couldn’t have happened without the strong pass from Rodrigo Abols. The Flyers retook the lead, making it 3-2 before heading into the final 20 minutes.
In the final frame, it was all Washington. The Capitals were playing extremely aggressive hockey enough that Lars Eller and Jakob Chychrun both scored. The Capitals, a little at the halfway point of the final frame, are up 4-3. Philadelphia was unable to connect to the back of Washington’s net despite all their efforts.
The Capitals won the contest 4-3, and the Flyers have lost five games in a row. The losing streak couldn’t come at a worse time, as the Oranges and Blacks have one final game against the Penguins on Saturday before the break.
The good news for Flyers fans is that Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier arrived in Philly during the contest. They were seen talking with Danny Briere and Keith Jones. Both players should be good to play on Saturday.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
