Flyers-Capitals: Game 10 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

A late goal gave the Flyers a chance at two points in Pittsburgh, but a matter of centimeters proved costly in an overtime loss to the Penguins in their first Metro matchup of the season. Now the Flyers get another chance at a Metropolitan Division opponent. 

The Flyers close out a quick two-game road trip against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, looking to once again rebound and get back in the win column. 

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Washington Capitals GP G A P
Claude Giroux 9 5 6 11 Alex Ovechkin 10 10 8 18
Sean Couturier 9 4 7 11 Evgeny Kuznetsov 10 5 8 13
Travis Konecny 9 4 4 8 Tom Wilson 10 1 7 8
Cam Atkinson 9 6 1 7 John Carlson 10 2 5 7
Joel Farabee 9 3 3 6 T.J. Oshie 7 4 2 6

Players To Watch 11-6

Oskar Lindblom has just one assist on the season, but in the last couple of games has been closer and closer to breaking through for his first goal of the season. As his line continues to produce scoring chances, he seems due for one to find the net soon.
 
Alex Ovechkin is once again off to a hot scoring start. He already has 10 goals on the season and 18 points in just 10 games. Ovechkin is also continuing to climb the goal-scoring charts. He already passed Marcel Dionne for fifth in NHL history, and is just two goals away from moving into fourth place and passing Brett Hull. He is also two assists away from reaching 600 for his career.   
 
Goalie Matchup 11-6

Martin Jones makes his first start since last Thursday in Vancouver. Jones was outstanding in the 27-save performance, holding the Flyers' one-goal lead for the duration of the game. This will be Jones' third start of the season.

Vitek Vanecek gets the start for the Capitals. Vanecek unexpectedly got the start in the Capitals last game against Florida on Thursday, playing 36:22 in the game total and allowing two goals on 15 shots and taking the overtime loss. He has also suffered losses in his prior two games, allowing three goals to both Tampa Bay and Detroit. Prior to that, he allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first period against Calgary before being pulled.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Line Combos 11-6

Flyers Scratches: Ryan Ellis (injury), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (healthy)

Opponent Line Combos 11-6

Capitals Scratches: Nicklas Backstrom (injury), T.J. Oshie (injury), Anthony Mantha (injury), Dennis Cholowski (healthy), Matt Irwin (healthy), Aliaksei Protas (healthy)

Lineup Notes

  • Flyers: The only expected change for the Flyers is the addition of Patrick Brown to the lineup for Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
  • Capitals: The Capitals are still without Nicklas Backstrom and have since added T.J. Oshie and Anthony Mantha to IR. Maxim Lapierre replaces Mantha in the lineup from last game.

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (13th), Capitals (21st)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th), Capitals (23rd)
  • Recent History vs. Capitals
    • May 8, 2021 – Capitals 2, Flyers 1 (F/OT) (at WSH)
    • May 7, 2021 – Flyers 4, Capitals 2 (at WSH)
    • April 17, 2021 – Capitals 6, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
    • April 13, 2021 – Capitals 6, Flyers 1 (at WSH)
    • March 13, 2021 – Capitals 5, Flyers 4 (at PHI)
    • March 11, 2021 – Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
    • March 7, 2021 – Capitals 3, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
    • Feb. 7, 2021 – Flyers 7, Capitals 4 (at WSH)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Capitals
    • Claude Giroux – 53 GP, 23 G, 25 A, 48 P
    • Sean Couturier – 41 GP, 12 G, 19 A, 31 P
    • Cam Atkinson – 27 GP, 12 G, 7 A, 19 P
    • Keith Yandle – 27 GP, 2 G, 16 A, 18 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 42 GP, 12 G, 16 A, 28 P
    • Derick Brassard – 31 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 P
    • Carter Hart – 6 GP, 2-3-1, 2.88 GAA, .907 SV%
    • Martin Jones – 10 GP, 5-4-1, 3.01 GAA, .896 SV%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Rasmus Ristolainen needs one assist to reach 200 for his career.
    • Travis Konecny needs two goals to reach 100 for his career.
    • Claude Giroux needs four power-play points to pass Bobby Clarke for the Flyers all-time franchise lead.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network

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