Flyers-Capitals: Game 13 Preview

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Washington Capitals	GP	G	A	P
James van Riemsdyk	12	6	10	16	Nicklas Backstrom	11	5	9	14
Kevin Hayes	12	6	5	11	John Carlson	11	4	7	11
Jake Voracek	12	3	8	11	Tom Wilson	9	4	4	8
Claude Giroux	12	1	10	11	Alex Ovechkin	7	3	5	8
Joel Farabee	12	6	3	9	Jakub Vrana	11	3	5	8

 

 

While Alain Vigneault said to not focus on the lines from Saturday leading up to Sunday's game, there was certainly something noticeable. Kevin Hayes was centering the fourth line. This may have just been for show, but a week after making Travis Konecny a healthy scratch, could this be another message sent to a Flyers forward? 

 

As expected when you play Washington, you have to account for where Alex Ovechkin is on the ice. Ovechkin did miss some time after being placed on the NHL's COVID-19 Unavailable Players list, but has since returned and doesn't seem to be missing a beat. Obviously, another key for the Flyers is to stay out of the box and not allow Ovechkin to set up shop in his office from the left circle.

 

Carter Hart was a complete scratch from Friday's game after experiencing back spasms during the morning skate, so Alex Lyon came on to fill in as backup for the night. Hart said he felt much better on Saturday and is going to get the start in Sunday afternoon's game.

The Capitals have certainly had to be flexible with Ilya Samsonov also hitting the NHL's COVID list and remaining there as the week begins. That means more work for Vitek Vanecek, who has come on and started the season well with five wins in nine games this season.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Phil Myers (upper-body injury), Morgan Frost (shoulder injury), Mark Friedman (healthy), Connor Bunnaman (healthy)

 

Lineup Notes

• Flyers: There are a few uncertainties for the Flyers lineup, but some good news may be on the horizon. Sean Couturier was back at practice as a full participant and skated in his usual slot on the top line and top power-play unit. All indications appear he will play. There's a chance Phil Myers could be back as well, but he practiced with Mark Friedman as his partner and Friedman is clearly among the scratches for the game, so it appears that Myers will miss another game, but remains day-to-day. With Couturier expected to return, many of the lines were shuffled, but nothing about Saturday's combinations is truly final.
• Capitals: The Capitals appear to be going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. They are still dealing without Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov on the COVID list, and Jakub Vrana was a new addition on Saturday, meaning he will almost definitely miss Sunday's game at least. The Capitals are also without Justin Schultz and Conor Sheary due to injury.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (10th), Capitals (5th)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (27th), Capitals (18th)
• Recent History vs. Capitals 
  • Nov. 13, 2019 – Capitals 2, Flyers 1 (F/SO) (at PHI)
  • Jan. 8, 2020 – Flyers 3, Capitals 2 (at PHI)
  • Feb. 8, 2020 – Flyers 7, Capitals 2 (at WSH)
  • March 4, 2020 – Flyers 5, Capitals 2 (at WSH)
  • Aug. 6, 2020 – Flyers 3, Capitals 1 (Round Robin)
• Flyers Leaders vs. Capitals
  • Claude Giroux – 45 GP, 22 G, 23 A, 45 P
  • Jake Voracek – 39 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 P
  • Sean Couturier – 33 GP, 8 G, 15 A, 23 P
  • Carter Hart – 3 GP, 1-1-1, 2.28 GAA, .926 SV%
• Milestone Watch
  • James van Riemsdyk needs one goal to reach 100 as a Flyer.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

Game Preview Video