Flyers-Capitals: Game 6 Preview

Flyers Leaders	GP	G	A	P	Capitals Leaders	GP	G	A	P
Shayne Gostisbehere	5	1	1	2	Nicklas Backstrom	5	1	5	6
Brayden Schenn	5	0	2	2	John Carlson	5	3	3	6
Wayne Simmonds	5	0	2	2	Marcus Johansson	5	1	4	5
Sam Gagner	5	0	2	2	Alex Ovechkin	5	3	1	4
Jakub Voracek	5	1	0	1	T.J. Oshie	5	1	3	4

 

Player to Watch
17 Wayne Simmonds	8 Alex Ovechkin
Series Totals: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, +1	Series Totals: 1 G, 3 A, 4 P, +1

 

The last time there was a Game 6 in Philadelphia, Wayne Simmonds scored a hat trick. While those results may not be the target, Simmonds came out for that game on another level. With so much of the Flyers offensive success being based on putting pressure and traffic in front of Braden Holtby, Simmonds is certainly one for the job.

 

There are two reasons to pick Alex Ovechkin here: he's as dangerous a goal scorer as there is and in Game 5, the frustration was starting to set in. This Game 6 will be about Ovechkin's own desire to avenge the demons of failures past as much as it is for the Capitals. If there is anybody who can change the game with one quick move or booming shot, it's No. 8.

 

Goalie Matchup
30 Michal Neuvirth	70 Braden Holtby
2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .987 SV%	3-2-0, 1.01 GAA, .961 SV%

Game 5 was the Michal Neuvirth show. 44 saves in a shutout forced a Game 6, and that leaves Neuvirth as the man between the pipes as the Flyers look to take the series back to Washington for Game 7. In the two games he has started in the series, Neuvirth has stopped 75 of 76 shots.

Make no mistake about it, Braden Holtby has still been a key figure in the series for the Capitals, allowing a grand total of five goals in the entire series entering Game 6. That said, he was limited in his last start, facing just 10 shots and stopping nine.  

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Evgeny Medvedev, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Weal, Michael Del Zotto

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
93 Jake Voracek	28 Claude Giroux	17 Wayne Simmonds
12 Michael Raffl	10 Brayden Schenn	89 Sam Gagner
24 Matt Read	52 Nick Cousins	36 Colin McDonald
76 Chris VandeVelde	78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	25 Ryan White
Defense
47 Andrew MacDonald	53 Shayne Gostisbehere
55 Nick Schultz	32 Mark Streit
23 Brandon Manning	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
30 Michal Neuvirth

The Flyers go with the same lineup as in Game 5.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (14th, 10th at home), Capitals (2nd, 3rd on road)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (15th, 14th at home), Capitals (3rd, 7th on road) 
• Recent History vs. Capitals
  • Nov. 12, 2015 – The Flyers fell to the Capitals, 5-2, in Philadelphia.
  • Jan. 27, 2016 – The Flyers picked up a 4-3 win in overtime in Washington.
  • Feb. 7, 2016 – The Flyers suffered a 3-2 loss to the Capitals in Washington.
  • March 30, 2016 – The Flyers defeated the Capitals, 2-1, in a shootout.
  • April 14, 2016 (Game 1) - The Flyers fell to the Capitals, 2-0.
  • April 16, 2016 (Game 2) – The Flyers fell to the Capitals, 4-1.
  • April 18, 2016 (Game 3) – The Flyers were blown out by the Capitals, 6-1.
  • April 20, 2016 (Game 4) – The Flyers claimed a 2-1 win over the Capitals.
  • April 22, 2016 (Game 5) – The Flyers blanked the Capitals, 2-0. 
• Flyers Playoff History vs. Capitals
  • 1984 Patrick Division Semi-final: Capitals win series, 3-0
  • 1988 Patrick Division Semi-final: Capitals win series, 4-3
  • 1989 Patrick Division Semi-final: Flyers win series, 4-2
  • 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Flyers win series, 4-3
• Flyers leaders vs. Capitals – Regular Season Totals
• Claude Giroux – 29 games, 15 goals, 16 assists, 31 points
• Jake Voracek – 25 games, 11 goals, 7 assists, 18 points
• Shayne Gostisbehere – 3 games, 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points
• Michal Neuvirth – 1 game, 1-0-0, 2.98 GAA, .900 Sv%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.