Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* The Flyers are 8-1-4 in their last 13 games dating back to Jan. 20 vs. Pittsburgh, having gathered 20 of a possible 26 points since then. Ten of those 13 games have been one-goal games, and the Flyers are 6-0-4 in those.
* Wayne Simmonds has goals in each of his last two games and extended his scoring streak to eight straight games – he has six goals and 10 points in that stretch… The Flyers improved to 12-4-4 when Simmonds scores.
* The Flyers were 2-for-4 on the power play today and held the Capitals off the board in five shorthanded situations.
* Claude Giroux had a goal, an assist, 11 shot attempts including five SOG, and was credited with one hit. He was 10-for-23 (43 percent) in the faceoff circle.
* Jake Voracek recorded two assists putting him in a tie for second place in the NHL’s scoring race with 63 points and second overall with 44 assists.
* Ryan White saw his four-game scoring streak end but was credited with five hits. White has 48 hits in 12 games with the Flyers since joining the club on Jan. 27 following three months on injured reserve and a month with the Phantoms.
* Today’s game was the sixth time the Flyers have held both Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin without points in contests where both Capitals were in the game. The Flyers are 5-1 in that situation. Backstrom has 42 points in 30 career games vs. the Flyers, while Ovechkin has 46 points in 37 career games.
GAME RECAP
PHILADELPHIA — Michael Del Zotto‘s goal with 4:13 remaining in the third period helped the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win Sunday against the Washington Capitals.
Jakub Voracek had two assists to set a new career-high with 63 points. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers, and Rob Zepp made 21 saves.
The Flyers swept their weekend home-and-home series, including a 3-2 shootout win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and moved within two points of the Boston Bruins for the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tom Wilson and Joel Ward had goals for the Capitals. Goalie Braden Holtby, making his League-leading 51st start, made 25 saves.
The Capitals had a final chance to tie the game on the power play with 57.3 seconds remaining when the Flyers’ Nick Schultz shot the puck over the glass. They couldn’t take advantage and went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, the NHL-leader with 38 goals, and Nicklas Backstrom, who started the day leading the League with 64 points, were held off the score sheet for the 14th time all season and the second time in the past 25 games; the previous time was Jan. 14 against the Flyers.
The winning goal came with the Flyers in the midst of a line change. Voracek held the puck in the Washington zone on the right side and waited for help. Del Zotto jumped off the bench and into the play, and Voracek found him with a hard cross-ice pass. Del Zotto got into the left circle and beat Holtby to the far post, past his glove.
The Capitals trailed 2-0 early in the second period but scored the next two goals to draw even.
Wilson started the run with his third of the season at 5:23 of the second. John Carlson intercepted a Brayden Schennclearing attempt inside the Philadelphia blue line, carried the puck deep and sent it across to Wilson alone on the left side for his first goal in 35 games.
Ward tied the game when he batted a bouncing puck past Zepp from the left side at 15:22 of the second. Eric Fehr tried to get the puck deep but it bounced off the Flyers’ Andrew MacDonald and off the glass. Ward spun and whacked the bouncing puck off the stick of the Flyers’ Zac Rinaldo and past Zepp to the short side, over his blocker.
Simmonds’ goal 1:34 into the second period gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead. The Flyers were on the power play because of a kneeing penalty on the Capitals’ Matt Niskanen that carried over from the first period when Brooks Laich was sent off for high-sticking. On the ensuing faceoff Brayden Schenn beat Jay Beagle on a face-off on left side of the Washington zone.Claude Giroux got the puck back to Mark Streit at the point. Holtby stopped his shot but the puck popped in the air and Simmonds knocked it in for his 24th of the season.
The goal extended Simmonds’ career-long point streak to eight games; he has six goals and three assists in that span.
Giroux gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 4:39 of the first period. Giroux and Mark Streit played catch with the puck at the top of the Washington zone. Giroux found space in the right circle and fired a shot that went through Simmonds’ screen and past Holtby.
It was Giroux’s 17th goal but first since Jan. 20, a span of 12 games.
