The Washington Capitals downed the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-1 on Tuesday evening in the first of a home-and-home set on back-to-back nights between the two teams and for the team’s fourth straight win. Washington improved to 4-1-0 to begin the 2024-25 season.
Philadelphia lost their fifth straight (0-4-1) since winning their season opener. The game kicked off the NHL’s “Frozen Frenzy,” which included all 32 teams in action with 16 games separated by 15-30 minute staggered starts, on Tuesday night. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who has allowed two or fewer goals in five of his last six regular-season starts dating back to last season, made 17 saves in the win.
Washington’s Lines
Aliaksei Protas – Dylan Strome – Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana – Hendrix Lapierre – Andrew Mangiapane
Brandon Duhaime – Nic Dowd – Taylor Raddysh
Jakob Chychrun – John Carlson
Martin Fehervary – Dylan McIlrath
Rasmus Sandin – Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Lindgren
Logan Thompson
ScratchedLW Sonny Milano
D Alexander Alexeyev
Injured:D Matt Roy (lower-body)
C Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
RW T.J. Oshie (back)
Philadelphia’s Lines
Owen Tippett — Sean Couturier — Matvei Michkov
Scott Laughton — Morgan Frost — Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee — Ryan Poehling — Bobby Brink
Nicolas Deslauriers — Noah Cates — Garnet Hathaway
Cam York — Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler — Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula — Rasmus Ristolainen
Sam Ersson
Ivan Fedotov
ScratchedRW Jett Luchanko
D Erik Johnson
C Tyson Foerster
InjuredN/A
First Period
Scoring
3:49, 1-0 Washington (SHG): After Zamula fumbled the puck at the right point, Dowd beat him to the loose biscuit and found himself on a breakaway, where he deked to the backhand and went top shelf on Ersson. The goal marked Dowd’s fifth career shorthanded tally and his first since February 1, 2022.
- At 4:29, McIlrath and Deslauriers traded punches off of a defensive zone draw for Washington but the referees broke the fight up before either got to finish it.
- With under seven minutes left, the puck bounced to Brink all alone in front of the goal before Lindgren flashed the glove on him.
- 15:07, 2-0 (SHG): Mangiapane roofed a wrister off of the left post and in over the glove of Ersson on another breakaway after McMichael poked the puck away from Brink along the left half-wall and sent Mangiapane in all alone. It marks the 15th time in franchise history the Capitals have scored two shorthanded goals in the same game and the first since March 8, 2006 (6-3 win vs. Pittsburgh Penguins). McMichael extended his point streak to three games (1-3-4). The Capitals scored two shorthanded goals in the same period for the eighth time in franchise history. Of the seven prior instances, only once have the Capitals scored two shorthanded goals in the first period (6-1 win at St. Louis Blues on 1/14/1992). Washington scored just three shorthanded goals during the 2023-24 season.
- 10-10 in shots
- Both teams were 0-for-two on the man advantage
- 8-6 Philadelphia in hits
- 6-6 in blocked shots
- 6-3 Philadelphia in giveaways
Second Period
Scoring
- N/A
Stats
- 18-13 Washington in shots
- including 8-3 in the second period
- Washington went 0-for-four on the power play
- 14-10 Philadelphia in hits
- 12-11 Washington in blocked shots
- 12-10 Philadelphia in giveaways
Third Period
Scoring
0:33, 2-1: Sanheim whipped a wrister over the glove of Lindgren from the left dot after getting a feed by York from the top
- 1:38, 3-1: After Strome poked the puck away from Drysdale and into the offensive zone, McMichael retrived it and played catch with Strome before Carlson got it at the top and put the puck off of Zamula’s skate in the slot and in. Carlson and Strome each extended their respective season-opening point streak to five games (Carlson: 2-4-6; Strome 3-5-8).
- 14:07, 4-1: Chychrun ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Ersson and bar down after Vrana stole the puck from Ersson behind the net, fed Duhaime along the half-wall, and Duhaime sent the puck to Chychrun at the top. Chychrun has recorded three points (1-2-3) in his last two games. Vrana earned his 100th career assist. Duhaime notched his first point as a Capital. Through five games, the Capitals have four goals from defensemen. Last season, Capitals defensemen combined for 20 goals in 82 games.
- 29-18 Washington in shots
- including 11-5 in the third
- Washington finished 0-for-five on the power play
- Philadelphia did not score on three
- 23-20 Philadelphia in hits
- 16-12 Washington in blocked shots
- 15-14 Philadelphia in giveaways
- 11-8 Washington in takeaways
With a 4-1-0 record the Capitals are off to their best five-game start to a season since 2015-16 (4-1-0).
