Just over one week into the season, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers are quickly trending in opposite directions.
The Capitals eye their fourth consecutive victory Tuesday when they pay a visit to the slumping Flyers.
Washington opened its season with a home loss to the New Jersey Devils before rattling off wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars, followed by a revenge victory over the Devils. The Capitals have scored 13 goals in the three games.
Tom Wilson was the star in the second meeting against the Devils, scoring his second goal of the game four minutes into overtime to seal a 6-5 triumph.
Alex Ovechkin notched his first goal of the season and the 854th of his career, leaving him 40 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record (894). Yet after the game, Ovechkin wanted to shine the spotlight on Wilson’s fourth career OT winner.
“He’s getting rewarded for what he’s doing out there,” Ovechkin said. “You can see he’s feeling it right now. … The hottest guy in the league, so I’m happy for him.”
Wilson already has five goals on the young season, including at least one goal in every game. His overtime game-winner came during a 2-on-1 with a minute left in overtime, set up by Dylan Strome.
“It’s fun. We’ve got a good team,” Strome said. “We’ve got guys that are working hard. … We’re playing good, top to bottom, and got to find a way to keep doing that.”
The Flyers are searching for answers after four consecutive losses and struggled to generate offense early in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to the Canucks. Despite some better chances over the final two periods, John Tortorella’s team was shut out for the first time this season.
“As the second period went on, we moved the lines around, we started creating some offense,” Tortorella said. “Hit some posts, some ‘almost plays.’ (We) played better as the game went on.”
Some of Flyers players still searching for their first goal of the season, include Morgan Frost, Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett.
“It seemed like we definitely had our opportunities,” Philadelphia defenseman Erik Johnson said. “Their goalie (Kevin Lankinen) played well, and we just weren’t able to find the back of the net. We wanted to score for our fans and give them a good show, but unfortunately, couldn’t find the back of the net, and their goalie made some big saves.”
One bright spot for the Flyers is a power-play unit that ranks 12th in the league at 22.7 percent, entering Monday’s action. Philadelphia had the NHL’s worst power play in each of the previous five seasons.
Washington’s power play, meanwhile, is tied for 23rd in the league at 15.4 percent.
The teams will reconvene Wednesday at Washington for the back end of the home-and-home series. The Capitals won two of the three meetings last season, including a 2-1 victory in the regular-season finale in a game the Flyers needed to win in regulation to have a shot at a postseason berth.
Philadelphia pulled its goalie in a tie game late in the third period in that contest, allowing Washington’s T.J. Oshie to score into an empty net for a 2-1 defeat. The Capitals ended up qualifying for the playoffs, while the Flyers were eliminated.
“We’ll take it,” Ovechkin said after the unconventional win. “Thanks, Philly.”
In Tuesday’s game, Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler is expected to make his season debut after dealing with a nerve issue in his right leg. Seeler played 71 games for Philadelphia last season and 77 in 2022-23.
–Field Level Media
