Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
PHILADELPHIA — A Michael Del Zotto tallywith 4:13 to play in the third period, coupled with a sound defensive effort in the third period and productive special teams helped propel the Flyers to a 3-2 victory Sunday over the Washington Capitals.
Del Zotto's goal — a slap shot from the left circle — was his seventh of the season, with Jakub Voracek and Chris VandeVelde earning the assists. Claude Giroux also opened the scoring with an early powerplay goal — his seventh of the season — as he, Voracek and Mark Streit each registered two-point games.
Wayne Simmonds also scored on the power play, batting a loose puck in just 1:34 into the second period. The goal was Simmonds' 24th of the season and 12th on the powerplay, and extends his current point streak to a career-high eight games.
In his second-consecutive start between the pipes, Rob Zepp made 21 saves on 23 shots — the second time this weekend he recorded 20-or-more saves. On the other side of the ice, Braden Holtby turned away 25 of 28 Flyer shots.
The Flyers (26-23-11) capitalized on half of their power-play opportunities, going 2-for-4. Their productive power play was matched by a stalwart penalty kill that held the Capitals scoreless on five attempts.
The Flyers also blocked 19 Capitals shots — none bigger than a Braydon Coburn block off an Alex Ovechkin slap shot on a late Capitals power play. Subsequently, Coburn limped off the ice as the powerplay continued.
Tom Wilson's third goal of the season at the 5:23 mark of the second period — a one-timer across the slot from John Carlson — erased a 2-0 Flyer lead, while Joel Ward tied the game 10 minutes later with his 14th tally. Eric Fehr and Brooks Orpik assisted on Ward's goal.
The game also featured a combined 79 hits between both squads, with the Capitals (33-18-10) holding a slim 42-37 advantage — typical of a game featuring budding division rivals. One of the bigger (and dirtier) hits came late in the first stanza, as Matt Niskanen went knee-to-knee on Sean Couturier, requiring attention on the ice from Jim McCrossin. Couturier returned for the second period, eventually finishing with a shot on goal and an even plus-minus in 17:13 of ice time, while Simmonds scored on the ensuing powerplay.
As a result of Sunday's win, the Flyers now sit just two points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot. Whether or not they stay there remains to be seen, as the Bruins face Chicago this afternoon.
Next up for the Orange and Black is another Metropolitan Division game, as they head to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tilt.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
