Flyers-Capitals: Game 5 Preview

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

 

Player to Watch
53 Shayne Gostisbehere	74 John Carlson
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, +1	Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, -1

 

Shayne Gostisbehere's first career playoff goal put the Flyers on the board in Game 3, and more importantly, it was the first power play goal the Orange and Black were able to score. Gostisbehere is one of just three Flyers who have recorded three points this series, joining Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn.

With the exception of Game 4, John Carlson has scored at least one goal in each game of the series, and recorded a pair of multi-point efforts in Games 2 and 3. The 26-year-old blueliner has also been a mainstay on the power-play unit that has continued to torch the Flyers throughout the series, and five of his six points this series have come on the man-advantage.

 

Goalie Matchup
30 Michal Neuvirth	70 Braden Holtby
1-0, 1.00 GAA, .969 SV%	2-1, 1.00 GAA, .966 SV%

Expect the Flyers to re-deploy Michal Neuvirth in goal, as he was able to hold steady in his first playoff start since 2011. Neuvirth had turned away 31 shots — 12 of which came in the third period — and made some critical saves to allow the Flyers to hold on.

For the first three games of the series, it looked as if the Flyers would never score another goal on Braden Holtby. They managed to figure him out in Game 4 — though they only scored two goals. It may not have been much, but it's definitely something the Flyers can look to build off of for the fifth game.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Scott Laughton, R.J. Umberger, Evgeny Medvedev, Jordan Weal, Micheal Del Zotto

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
10 Brayden Schenn	28 Claude Giroux	17 Wayne Simmonds
89 Sam Gagner	12 Michael Raffl	93 Jakub Voracek
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
32 Mark Streit	55 Nick Schultz
23 Brandon Manning	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
30 Michal Neuvirth

Scott Laughton did not make the trip to D.C. with the team, after being released from Jefferson Hospital on Thursday. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare will return to the lineup, after serving a one-game suspension in Game 4.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (13th, 16th on road), Capitals (1st, 1st at home)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (16th, 16th on road), Capitals (4th, 1st at home) 
• Series at a Glance:
  • April 14, 2016 (Game 1) - The Capitals opened the series with a 2-0 win.
  • April 16, 2016 (Game 2) – The Flyers fell to the Capitals, 4-1.
  • April 18, 2016 (Game 3) – The Flyers were shelled, 6-1.
  • April 20, 2016 (Game 4) – The Flyers won their first game of the series, 2-1.
• 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
• Claude Giroux – 30 games, 15 goals, 17 assists, 32 points
• Jakub Voracek – 26 games, 11 goals, 7 assists, 18 points
• Shayne Gostisbehere – 4 games, 0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points
• Steve Mason – 17 games, 8-6-2, 2.71 GAA, .908 Sv%

Where to Watch
TV: CSN, NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61