Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers Pick & Prediction JANUARY 11th 2023
The surging Philadelphia Flyers will look for their sixth victory in seven games when they host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Following a season-best four-game winning streak, the Flyers fell 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. But they responded one night later with a stellar 4-0 win on the road against the Buffalo Sabres.
Backup goaltender Sam Ersson stopped all 28 shots for his first career shutout in his fifth-ever start. It came after he nearly earned a shutout in his previous start, giving up his only goal in the final minute of a Jan. 2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Jacob Hoffman
"We were good through most of the game. I think they turned it up on us, and that's where Ersy played well," Flyers head coach John Tortorella said. "That position kind of determines the being of the team. That's what has been impressive about him. He's been very calm. It affects the team. He's grown since (his debut in) Carolina. I'm so happy for him."
The Flyers have gone through some growing pains with a litany of injuries to key players, along with having such a young team. Despite being without the likes of Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson and Ryan Ellis, they're beginning to collectively elevate their level of play.
"I think we just keep getting better," said Philadelphia's Zack MacEwen, who scored one of the four goals against Buffalo. "We're starting to trust our game and our structure. With that, I think we're kind of playing the right way and it's creating more offense for us. We're scoring more goals. It's just something we've got to keep building."
The Capitals will aim for their second straight win after they earned a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
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Along with the victory came the much-anticipated season debuts of Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. Backstrom returned from hip surgery and Wilson came back from ACL surgery.
The once-depleted Capitals are suddenly getting healthy at the right time.
"You know, after an injury, it's a little bit different," Wilson said. "You're expecting your body to show up, but you never really know. I tried to put in all the work I could, and it held up. We got through it. It felt better as the game went on. The guys battled for Nicky and I to get it done ... and it's nice to get the first one out of the way. But it was a really cool experience."
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette has juggled lines all season and finally got a much-needed boost for the lineup.
"It was great to have them back out there," Laviolette said. "That's a lot, jumping into that game. I thought they did fine, and every day from today as they move forward, they'll get more confident and just feel better about it. I'm sure they're both glad to have it behind them and in the rearview mirror."
The Capitals recorded 25 blocked shots and goaltender Darcy Kuemper was solid with 38 saves in the shutout.
"We got the early goal, and I thought we did a pretty good job five-on-five for the most part at holding them off," Laviolette said. "And when we needed some big saves -- and there were some big ones tonight -- I thought Kuemps was really good."
--Field Level Media
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers Recap FEB 26TH 2022
Cam Atkinson had one goal and one assist to lift the host Philadelphia Flyers past the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Saturday.
Claude Giroux added one goal for the Flyers, who snapped a six-game losing streak.
Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who sat out the previous two games with an eye infection, made 27 saves.
T.J. Oshie scored the lone goal for the Capitals. It was Oshie's second game back after a long-term upper-body injury.
Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov stopped 20 shots.
The Flyers went ahead 1-0 just 11 seconds into the first period when Giroux found himself wide open in front and scored.
The game was physical through the first with Washington's Tom Wilson engaging in separate scuffles with Rasmus Ristolainen and Zack MacEwen.
Nicklas Backstrom fired a shot at 17:20, which was stopped by Hart.
Soon after a Capitals power play expired, Atkinson connected for a 2-0 lead at 18:38. It was Atkinson's team-high 18th goal.
Samsonov made a stellar save against Travis Konecny at 5:52 of the second. As Samsonov went sprawling to the ice, he managed to redirect the puck out with his glove.
Isaac Ratcliffe was whistled for interference and Oshie capitalized with a power play goal to close to within 2-1 at 6:53 in the second period.
The Flyers earned a two-man advantage for 49 seconds at 12:31. But the Capitals' defense tightened as they blocked several shots and killed off both penalties.
The Capitals came out aggressive in the third and produced a flurry of scoring chances in the first five minutes yet couldn't convert.
Samsonov was pulled for an extra skater with 2:04 remaining, and despite some strong scoring opportunities, the Capitals weren't able to equalize. Alex Ovechkin had two shots in the final 30 seconds.
--Field Level Media
- NHL
