Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* The Flyers are now 10-5-3 on home ice, winning the first two of their four-game homestand.
* The Flyers also continue to own the NHL’s best power play at home at nearly 30% efficiency (28.6%) going 18-for-63 – they have recorded a goal on the power-play on home ice in nine of their last 11 games.
* The Flyers improved to 4-17-6 in games when scoring fewer than four goals, winning in that situation for the second consecutive game.
* Jakub Voracek scored his third game-winning-goal this season – through the halfway point of the season, Voracek continues to lead the NHL’s scoring race with 49 points (16g-33a).
* The Flyers improved to 4-2 this season in games that ended within the overtime period.
* Nick Schultz recorded just his seventh career multi-point game. It was his first since November 19, 2010, when he recorded two assists for Minnesota in a 4-3 win at Detroit.
* Wayne Simmonds had seven shots on goal and another four that didn’t reach the net, while Jake Voracek had five shots on goal and five more that didn’t reach the net.
* Claude Giroux was 18-for-28 (64 pct) on faceoffs.
GAME RECAP
PHILADELPHIA — Jakub Voracek‘s power-play goal at 1:28 of overtime gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Sean Couturier and R.J. Umberger scored for the Flyers, and Matt Read and Nick Schultz each had two assists. Steve Mason made 26 saves.
Alex Ovechkin and Karl Alzner each had a goal for the Capitals, and Mike Green had two assists. Goaltender Braden Holtby, playing in his 23rd straight game and making his 17th straight start, made 30 saves.
The Flyers played the final two periods without defenseman Nicklas Grossmann because of an upper-body injury sustained with 1:41 left in the first period when he was hit into the boards by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson.
After Matt Niskanen was sent to the penalty box for hooking at 1:11 of overtime, the Flyers worked the puck high in the Capitals zone. Voracek got to the center of the zone and beat Holtby through a Wayne Simmonds screen.
Each team had a chance to take the lead on a power play late in regulation. The Capitals got a man advantage at 13:21 when the Flyers were called for too many men on the ice, and Philadelphia got a chance with 2:54 remaining when Washington was called for too many men.
The Flyers’ best chance came when the puck found its way into the crease early in the power play, but Holtby made four saves in the flurry and six during the penalty kill.
Philadelphia tied the game at 4:22 of the third on Umberger’s sixth goal. Couturier won a faceoff on the left side of the Washington zone, and the puck went back to Schultz at the point. Schultz’s shot went wide of the net, but the puck bounced through the slot past Holtby and defenseman John Carlson right to Umberger, who one-timed the loose puck into a nearly empty net.
Alzner gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead with his fourth goal at 3:08 of the third period. His long shot from the right point went through traffic, changed direction in close and got behind Mason. Replay review upheld the goal.
The Flyers momentarily appeared to the take the lead at 2:52 of the second period when Brayden Schenn dove into the crease to knock a loose puck under Holtby and across the goal line, but referees ruled it was no goal because Holtby had the puck frozen under his pads.
The Flyers tied the game 1-1 on Couturier’s 10th goal. Schultz fired a shot from the point on the left side, and the puck bounced off Read and Green battling in front. Couturier, unguarded next to the right post, banged it in at 9:53 of the first period.
“It started with good [offensive] zone pressure,” Couturier said. “We created a couple turnovers, and Schultz was able to put the puck on net. I drove to the net and got a lucky bounce and I’ll take it.”
The Capitals took an early 1-0 lead on Ovechkin’s 21st goal. With Washington on a power play, Mike Green sent the puck to Ovechkin at the top of the left circle, and the Capitals captain fired a one-timer that beat Mason to the short side over his glove at 3:08.
Ovechkin has a goal in five straight games, his longest streak since he scored in five straight March 17-24, 2013.
