By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
For most of the week, the hockey world has been completely focused on the Washington Capitals. The Flyers make the trip to DC for a weekend back-to-back with three games remaining on their schedule.
The Capitals have a lot to play for, looking to claim an edge in the East Division race. Just like earlier this week against Pittsburgh, the Flyers look to play spoiler, starting with Friday night's opener.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Washington Capitals | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 50 | 9 | 34 | 43 | Nicklas Backstrom | 53 | 15 | 38 | 53 |
| Claude Giroux | 51 | 16 | 25 | 41 | John Carlson | 51 | 10 | 34 | 44 |
| James van Riemsdyk | 53 | 16 | 23 | 39 | Alex Ovechkin | 44 | 24 | 18 | 42 |
| Sean Couturier | 42 | 16 | 22 | 38 | T.J. Oshie | 51 | 21 | 21 | 42 |
| Joel Farabee | 52 | 17 | 18 | 35 | Tom Wilson | 44 | 13 | 20 | 33 |
Brian Elliott gets another start for the Flyers. It's been a struggle down the stretch for Elliott as he carries the bulk of the starts. He looks to finish the season on a high note, starting with Friday's outing.
Vitek Vanecek is getting a good bulk of the starts with Ilya Samsonov out of the lineup on COVID protocol. Vanecek has had some up-and-down results lately, but has solid overall numbers this season.
Projected Lineups
Flyers Scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (suspension), Robert Hagg (healthy), Jackson Cates (healthy)
Lineup Notes
- Flyers: Cam York makes his NHL debut. He will play alongside Justin Braun. Sam Morin is also returning to the lineup. No changes are being made at forward.
- Capitals: There are plenty of notable absences for the Capitals. In addition to Alex Ovechkin's injury, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Samsonov are on the COVID list.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (19th), Capitals (3rd)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (30th), Capitals (7th)
- Recent History vs. Capitals
- Feb. 7, 2021 – Flyers 7, Capitals 4 (at WSH)
- March 7, 2021 – Capitals 3, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
- March 11, 2021 – Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
- March 13, 2021 – Capitals 5, Flyers 4 (at PHI)
- April 13, 2021 – Capitals 6, Flyers 1 (at WSH)
- April 17, 2021 – Capitals 6, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Capitals
- Claude Giroux – 51 GP, 23 G, 25 A, 48 P
- Jake Voracek – 45 GP, 15 G, 22 A, 37 P
- Sean Couturier – 39 GP, 11 G, 19 A, 30 P
- Brian Elliott – 22 GP, 10-9-0, 3.38 GAA, .883 SV%
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs two power-play goals to pass Eric Lindros for 8th all-time in Flyers history.
- Kevin Hayes needs two points to reach 300 for his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
