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The Pregame: Capitals Conclude Road Trip in Philly

By Michael Marzzacco

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) defends the goal in the third period on a shot by Philadelphia Flyers left wing Oskar Lindblom (23) January 8, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) defends the goal in the third period on a shot by Philadelphia Flyers left wing Oskar Lindblom (23) January 8, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Washington Capitals look to sweep their three-game road trip on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. They’ve already beaten the Islanders and Rangers over the weekend. Here are your pregame notes.

The Capitals come into tonight’s game winners of six of their last seven games. They enter this game tonight tied with the Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division with 83 points each. Washington carries a 38-21-7 record, identical to the Islanders. The Isles defeated the Senators 5-4 in the shootout.

The Capitals are coming off not only wins in both New York venues but winners of four in a row, a streak that began last Sunday against the Rangers. One week later, the Capitals took care of the Rangers again with a 3-2 win in a shootout.

The Capitals got goals from Carl Hagelin and Andre Burakovsky. Alex Ovechkin won the game on a shot that we’ll never know had actually gone in had Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev threw his stick at Ovechkin’s.

Tonight’s game marks the second of four meetings between the Capitals and Flyers this season. The Capitals won the previous meeting back on Jan. 8 at Capital One Arena by a final of 5-3. The Capitals got a goal from Tom Wilson and a pair of goals from Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie.

The Flyers (32-26-8, 72 points) are pushing for the final wild card playoff spot. They currenlty trail the Penguins and Canadiens by seven points for the top two wild card spots. They are also five points behind the Blue Jackets. Philadelphia comes into tonight’s game winners of two in a row including a 4-1 win on Sunday over the Islanders. Tonight is another must win for them.

The Capitals are back in Philly on March 14 and these teams will square off one more time in the District 10 days later. That is three times in the span of 18 days. Crazy.

PREGAME PLAYER MATCHUP

Braden Holtby vs. Brian Elliott

This pregame player matchup is a battle of the goaltenders. Braden Holtby is gunning for his 250th career win which he will get if he gets the win tonight. If he does win tonight’s game, he will become the second fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach the mark having done son in his 409th career game. Holtby carries a

Brian Elliott is among an NHL record eight goaltenders who have started between the pipes for the Flyers this season. He was out for three months with a lower body injury but in his six appearances since his return, Elliott is 3-0-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. Overall, Elliott is 9-7-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .920 save percentage.

PREGAME NOTES

Via Game Notes

  • Washington is 83-103-19-11 all-time against Philadelphia.
  • Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL with 45 goals this season. With 10 career 45-goal seasons Ovechkin has recorded more 45-goal seasons than any player in NHL history.
  • Carl Hagelin recorded his first goal as a Capital against the Rangers on Sunday, becoming the 379th player in franchise history to record a goal. In five games with the Capitals this season, Hagelin is averaging 13:57 minutes of ice time and 2:02 minutes per game on the penalty kill, ranking second among Capitals forwards since his arrival.
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