Kimmo Timonen and Jakub Voracek celebrate Voracek's first goal in the second period of the Flyers 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)
With 12:31 to play in the third period, the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves in a familiar position: holders of a three-goal lead. This time, they wouldn't let it go.
Similar to Sunday, the Flyers dominated the mid-portion of a game against the Washington Captials. Instead of letting it slip, they kept their foot on the gas to cruise to a 5-2 win over Washington on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The two teams skated to a scoreless first period with even results. Braden Holtby and Steve Mason did their job in net, with the Flyers out-shooting the Capitals, 10-9, in the period.
A late penalty to Kimmo Timonen led to an early goal in the second for the Caps. Alex Ovechkin drew the penalty and scored just 40 seconds into the second period.
The Flyers had a quick answer, as Jake Voracek would respond with his seventh goal of the season from Braydon Coburn and Timonen just 58 seconds later.
A defensively lapse by Claude Giroux allowed Eric Fehr to get prime scoring position in front of Mason. He took a pass from Troy Brouwer and scored to give the Capitals the 2-1 lead at 5:31.
Again, the Flyers found the equalizer, as Matt Read scored the tying goal at 11:54, his 10th of the season, on a rebound in front. Assists went to Steve Downie and Nick Grossmann.
The turning point of the game came at 15:17 as Tom Wilson drilled Brayden Schenn into the boards awkwardly. Wilson received a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. Schenn didn't return for the remainder of the game.
During the five-minute man-advantage, the Flyers took advantage, striking twice before the close of the period. Mark Streit fired a shot from the point that beat Holtby to give the Flyers the lead. Voracek would add his second of the period with 1:44 remaining to give the Flyers a two-goal lead.
Wayne Simmonds added his sixth goal of the season at 7:29 of the third to cap the scoring.
Aside from the offense's strong showing, it was also another impressive night for Mason. After allowing three goals in the final 10 minutes of the third and losing the shootout on Sunday, this was as much a bounce-back game for him individually as it was for the team. He didn't disappoint, stopping 24 of 26 Washington shots.
After an embarrassing loss to open November and the heartbreak of Sunday's loss, the Flyers finally got the better of Ovechkin and the Capitals. Now, they set their sights on another home and home series, this time against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It starts on Thursday night as the Flyers host Columbus at 7 p.m.
Kevin Durso is lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
