Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* The Flyers now have points in six consecutive games, going 5-0-1 in that span.
* Steve Mason left the game just past the halfway point of the second period with a lower body injury, and did not return.
* Wayne Simmonds scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season. It was his fifth game-winning goal of the season, which also leads the team.
* Jake Voracek scored an empty-netter to snap a two-game scoreless streak and avoid going three games without a point for what would have been the first time this season. The goal returned him to a tie for the NHL’s scoring lead, which he had temporarily yielded to Patrick Kane after Kane scored in Chicago’s game earlier today.
* The Flyers held the Caps to 14 shots, which is their lowest shots-against total since they held New Jersey to 13 shots in a 1-0 road win on Nov. 2, 2013. The last time they held Washington to that number or lower was January 25, 2004 when they held the Caps to 13 shots in a 4-1 win at Verizon Center. The Flyers’ franchise record for fewest shots against in a game is seven, which came against Washington on Feb. 12, 1978 at the Spectrum.
* Claude Giroux went 15-for 24 (63 percent) on faceoffs. He is now at 55.9 pct on the season (715 for 1279). He had two assists to move to 54 points on the season.
* The Flyers return to action on Tuesday night at Montreal (7:30, CSN, 97.5 FM).
GAME RECAP
WASHINGTON – The Philadelphia Flyers won for the fifth time in six games with a 3-1 victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on Sunday.
Mark Streit, Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek scored for Philadelphia (23-22-8). Goaltender Steve Mason left in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return; Ray Emery made five saves and allowed one goal in relief.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal for Washington (28-16-10). Goaltender Braden Holtby made 22 saves.
The Capitals had two power plays within the first 10 minutes of the game, but didn’t take a shot on goal during either. A Washington turnover created a shorthanded chance for Sean Couturier, who Holtby stopped with a left-pad save.
Washington didn’t have a shot attempt until 11:57 when Nicklas Backstrom forced Mason to make his first save of the game.
Streit gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 50 seconds into the second period when his point shot knuckled through traffic and past Holtby.
Washington’s sluggish power play, which had been outshot 2-1 by Philadelphia during its previous three chances, finally engineered some offense during a second-period opportunity, leading to Ovechkin’s goal at 13:29. After an 80-second two-man advantage expired, Ovechkin settled a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov in the left circle and beat Emery with a wrist shot.
Simmonds scored on the rush at 3:50 of the third period, his team-leading 19th goal and first at even strength since Dec. 23. Voracek scored an empty-net goal with 37 seconds left.
The Capitals begin a four-game road trip Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. The Flyers continue their four-game trip against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
