Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kevin Hayes scored on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead that they would hold through the remainder of the game, snapping a four-game losing streak on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center with a win against the NHL’s top team, the Washington Capitals.

The Flyers next four games are against top teams in the league. It starts with the team right at the top of the NHL standings, the Washington Capitals, who dominated their way to a 6-1 win over Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Facing the league’s best team proved to be too much for the Flyers in the end, with the Flyers dropping a 2-1 decision in a shootout to the Washington Capitals, but not before a highly competitive and entertaining game at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.

The Flyers will be back on home ice, where they enter play on Wednesday with a 6-1-1 record, but get the task of facing the NHL’s best team, the Washington Capitals.

Last week, it was already known that the President’s Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, were eliminated, as were the Pittsburgh Penguins. Six other teams have joined, and many of them were near the top of the regular-season standings.

The Capitals didn’t win Thursday’s game with their stars, but their depth, getting good goaltending when they needed it and players to step up. For the Flyers, it was a reminder that a young defense can still pay the price for costly mistakes and that the depth needs to improve.

Two goals in 65 seconds put the Capitals in control in a 5-2 win against the Flyers on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Washington Capitals return to Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers look to keep the momentum going after back-to-back wins.

On Wednesday night, the division leaders come to town, as the Flyers face the Washington Capitals.