Flyers Struggles Continue in Loss to Capitals

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

As the third period of Saturday's game went on, it was evident that the Flyers didn't have the legs to keep up with Penguins. A brutal schedule only continued for the Flyers on Sunday, and after a strong first period that was surely fueled by the presence of fans in the building again, the Flyers again didn't have the legs to match the Washington Capitals.

The Capitals grabbed two goals late in the second, then another in the third as they closed out a 3-1 result on Sunday night at Wells Fargo Center.

In the early stages of the first period, the Flyers were winning more of the battles and generating possession time, but shots were at a premium.

Finally, at 11:04, the opportunity presented itself as the Flyers moved the other way on a two-on-one. Joel Farabee kept it himself and fired a shot, beating Ilya Samsonov through the five-hole for his 11th goal of the season.

The Flyers had another opportunity to get on the board moments later with the first power play of the game, but did not capitalize. Late in the period, the Capitals boosted their shot total on a power play of their own, but also could not score.

Through 20 minutes, shots were 14-7 in favor of the Flyers.

The Capitals came out stronger in the second, putting 13 shots on goal in the period compared to just eight for the Flyers.

For most of the period, Carter Hart kept the Flyers in front, making a number of saves. But in the final five minutes of the period, the Capitals finally got the edge.

With 4:49 remaining in the period, T.J. Oshie made a nice play at the blue line to create space, then got a perfect pass over to Alex Ovechkin for the quick release and the goal, his eighth of the season, to make it 1-1.

Then in the closing seconds of the period, the Capitals took advantage of an icing call. With 15.8 seconds left, John Carlson threaded a pass to a wide-open Dmitry Orlov, who beat Hart through the five-hole to give Washington the 2-1 lead.

After two periods, shots were 22-20 in favor of the Flyers.

Early in the third, the Capitals kept the pressure on and turned that into a third goal. Zdeno Chara took down Farabee and James van Riemsdyk entered the fray to stand up for his teammate. But that created a 4-on-3 the other way and allowed for Nick Jensen to step up into the play and score off another nice pass, making it 3-1 Washington at 4:15.

The Flyers got another power play midway through the period, but struggled as they went to 0-for-4 on the night on the man advantage.

The Capitals were in cruise control from there, winning the battles and putting the finishing touches on this game.

Hart finished the game with 24 saves on 27 shots. Samsonov finished with 36 saves on 37 shots.

The Flyers are back on the ice on Tuesday night as they take on the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PHI Joel Farabee (11) (Sean Couturier) 11:04

2nd Period

• WSH Alex Ovechkin (8) (T.J. Oshie, Zdeno Chara) 15:11
• WSH Dmitry Orlov (2) (John Carlson, Jakub Vrana) 19:44

3rd Period

• WSH Nick Jensen (1) (Nicklas Backstrom, Oshie) 4:15

Game Statistics