Flyers build some more with a statement type of win over Capitals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers cooled off another hot team by beating the Capitals, 5-3, Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Travis Konecny scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory and punctuate a hat trick.
Owen Tippett was also excellent for the Flyers. With a goal and an assist, he set a new career high of 23 points. He also drew three tripping penalties on Washington.
After Tippett’s goal cushioned the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 in the third period, Konecny struck about two minutes later at shorthanded for his second goal of the night.
The Capitals pushed but the Flyers did just enough to hold them off.
The Flyers (17-18-7) are 6-1-0 over their last seven games, a stretch in which they’ve scored 4.14 goals per game.
Scott Laughton also found the back of the net and collected two assists for a three-point night.
Washington came in as one of the NHL’s hottest clubs, going 13-2-2 over its past 17 games. Key forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson, both playing their second game of the season, were held to one combined point.
The Flyers have gone 1-1-1 against the Capitals (23-15-6) this season. They face Washington once more this weekend.
• In three days, John Tortorella’s club has put a couple of eye-opening wins in its back pocket.
Two days ago, the Flyers blanked the Sabres, 4-0, a team that had won eight of its previous nine games (8-1-0) and entered leading the NHL in goals per game (4.00).
On Wednesday, the Flyers really dictated things against the Capitals.
“They’re able to listen to the radio again,” Tortorella said, referring to the postgame music played after victories. “You could hear them out in the rink during the pregame skate. It’s a noisy group. When it’s a noisy group, they feel good about themselves. And they should.
“All the browbeating and the negative vibe — and quite honestly, rightfully so — it can wear you down. I think when you’re on a little bit of a run, you should feel good. You’ve got to find ways to feel good about yourself. They deserve it.
“Fine line now. Feel good, but make sure you stay not too far away from that line as far as what you’re doing to get some results. Hopefully we can stay about it here.”
• Konecny, who had never killed penalties at the NHL level before this year, has three shorthanded goals on the season.
• Carter Hart was back in net after surrendering a season-high six goals Sunday night to the Maple Leafs.
The 24-year-old made 26 saves on 29 shots.
Hart was busy early, which probably helped him shrug off Sunday. He denied two dangerous first-period looks from Alex Ovechkin, one of them a breakaway.
With the Flyers up 4-1 in the third period, Marcus Johansson intercepted an Ivan Provorov pass and fired it past Hart.
About five and a half minutes later, T.J. Oshie cut Washington’s deficit to one.
The Flyers then closed the door.
Provorov finished the night with an assist and three blocked shots.
The Capitals’ No. 1 netminder Darcy Kuemper stopped 31 of the Flyers’ 35 shots.
• Joel Farabee made a huge play behind the net to help regain the Flyers’ lead with 33 seconds to go in the opening stanza.
The 22-year-old winger showed patience with the puck before finding Konecny in the slot to give the Flyers a 2-1 edge at first intermission.
Twenty-one seconds prior, the Capitals had just ripped away some momentum from the Flyers when Garnet Hathaway knotted things up with a goal at Hart’s doorstep.
Konecny’s goal extended the 25-year-old’s point streak to 10 games, a stretch in which he has 12 goals and eight assists. With 24 goals this season, he is one shy of setting a new career high.
Along with Konecny, Laughton is another established Flyer who has played well since early December. His first-period power play goal and two assists gave him 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) over his last 17 games.
He also has three shorthanded markers this season.
• After a day off Thursday and practice Friday, the Flyers finish their four-game regular-season series with the Capitals on the road Saturday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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