PHILADELPHIA — The Washington Capitals achieved their fourth consecutive victory, overcoming the Philadelphia Flyers with a score of 4-1 on Tuesday evening. Nic Dowd and Andrew Mangiapane each contributed short-handed goals during the first period, while goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 17 saves throughout the match.
Despite having a significant milestone within reach, Alex Ovechkin went without a goal. He remains 40 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record, sitting at a total of 854 after playing in his 1,431st game. The Capitals also saw contributions from Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson, who each found the back of the net.
On the other hand, the Flyers’ struggles continued, marking their fifth straight loss. They previously faced a 3-0 defeat in their home opener on Saturday and failed to score in the first two periods of this matchup. Travis Sanheim managed to score for Philadelphia, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
Dowd opened the scoring with a backhand shot that zipped over goalie Sam Ersson just 3:49 into the game. Mangiapane doubled the lead with a wrist shot while the Flyers were on a power play, pushing the score to 2-0 with 4:53 remaining in the first period. Although Sanheim brought Philadelphia back into contention early in the third period, scoring just 34 seconds in, Carlson quickly responded for Washington a little over a minute later, securing the Capitals’ lead.
Several notable points emerged from the game. For the Capitals, Tom Wilson saw a slight decline after scoring in the first four games of the season, yet the team continued to maintain momentum early in the campaign. The Flyers’ rookie Matvei Michkov, selected as the No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft, faced off against Ovechkin for the first time. Michkov, who considers Ovechkin an idol, provided an assist on Sanheim’s goal.
Another highlight was the intense brawl that occurred 4.5 minutes into the game, where Dylan McIlrath and Nic Deslauriers engaged in a fierce fight. Both players landed solid punches, resulting in Deslauriers suffering a cut under his left eye, while McIlrath left the ice to tend to his injuries.
In terms of performance stats, Dylan Strome, who led the Capitals last season with 67 points, has continued his productive streak this season. After assisting on Carlson’s goal, he now has three goals and five assists in the current campaign, having recorded points in every game so far.
As the two teams prepare to face each other again, they will shift the action to Washington on Wednesday night for the continuation of their home-and-home series.