A heavy underdog, the Philadelphia Flyers (28-34-8) failed to stop the Washington Capitals (46-15-8) on ‘The Gr8 Chase.’
The Capitals swept the season series versus the Flyers, outscoring them 17-9. Washington clinched an NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs berth with the victory.
Sam Ersson went head-to-head with Charlie Lindgren. Philadelphia lost in regulation, but they were knocking hard on overtime’s door. They never stopped fighting back into the game, and the goals scored defined ‘team effort.’
Over the last ten games, the Flyers are 2-8-0. The two wins were shootout victories, saving them from a winless stretch. Ersson hasn’t posted a 90%SV or greater once, and he’s beginning to split his starts with Ivan Fedotov. Philadelphia needs the offseason sooner rather than later.
First Period
Shots: 6-5, Capitals
Score: 1-0, Capitals
This lineup is not going to create a lot of offense. When there was a chance, the Flyers had to convert. Olle Lycksell made himself available on the crease and likely would’ve scored, but Martin Fehérváry made a last-second defensive play to shut down the high-danger option. Brandon Duhaime put a good hit on Ryan Poehling, too. Poehling kept competing hard as goal-scoring came at a premium; Philadelphia was on a two-game scoring drought.
Alex Ovechkin continued ‘The Gr8 Chase.’ Trevor van Riemsdyk shot from the blue line, but traffic stopped the puck. Aliaksei Protas didn’t get all of the pass to Ovechkin, but it was enough to allow a weak slapshot goal with Ersson out of position, 1-0, with 5:35 remaining in the first period. Ovechkin scored his 888th of his NHL career. Some would call that the ‘Gr8st One’ on ‘The Gr8 Chase,’ except for when he does pass ‘The Great One.’
Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster earned possession on the forecheck late in the first period. Cates crossed a pass to Travis Sanheim, but instead of shooting, he tried a centering pass to Bobby Brink. The Flyers tried to do too much, and the Capitals closed the space in the defensive zone. Lindgren closed out the period with saves on Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.
Second Period
Shots: 14-12, Capitals
Score: 3-0, Capitals
Duhaime extended the lead. Jamie Drysdale lost possession of the puck in the defensive zone, hounded by Dylan Strome. Anthony Beauvillier recovered the puck and passed it to Matt Roy. Roy shot from above the faceoff circle, deflected by Duhaime, 2-0, with 18:04 remaining in the second period.
Tom Wilson served a minor penalty for hooking. Then, Foerster cut the powerplay short, serving a minor penalty for tripping. Fans witnessed four-on-four hockey for 0:15. Philadelphia finished 0/2 (0%) on the powerplay. Ersson and Egor Zamula held off Washington on the penalty kill, finishing 1/1 (100%).
Andrew Mangiapane scored the eventual game-winner. Brink tried to cross a pass to Sanheim, but it was behind him on the entry. Sanheim lost an edge, and the Capitals went on an odd-man rush. Beauvillier set Mangiapane up for the snapshot, 3-0, with 8:54 remaining in the second period.
Mangiapane followed with a better scoring chance on another odd-man rush. Ersson faced a three-on-one but saved the shot by Mangiapane. There wasn’t much pressure from the Flyers in the second period. They were too reliant on the offensive transition to create a shooting opportunity. Washington throttled Philadelphia in the neutral zone.
“I liked our first period, too. The only period I thought, for like eleven minutes of it where we got sloppy with lateral plays and just not managing the puck was the second [period]. Other than that, I thought we played a good game. Ers [Ersson] made some key saves at key times. [We] just don’t find a way.” – John Tortorella; 3/20/2025
Third Period
Shots: 28-16, Flyers
Score: 3-2, Capitals
‘Lifeless’ described the Flyers after the second period. Philadelphia was 20:00 away from their second three-game scoreless skid this season.
Poehling won a chase off a line change to a puck sent in deep by Owen Tippett. He collected the puck, drove the crease, and scored. Lindgren had his shutout bid spoiled by Poehling, 3-1, with 14:50 remaining in the third period. Tippett did not get credit for the assist, and the NHL marks this as an ‘own goal,’ meaning Jakob Chychrun might’ve helped Poehling spoil Lindgren’s shutout bid.
John Carlson would’ve increased the lead for the Capitals, but John Tortorella challenged the scoring play. Duhaime made a hand pass, and the play should’ve stopped. Tortorella challenged that aspect of the play, overturning Carlson’s effort.
Konecny had a pair of great chances to contribute on the scoreboard. He had back-to-back odd-man rushes with Tippett and Matvei Michkov, but Lindgren made each save. Except for the third period, the Flyers’ shooting forecast was bleak. Had Konecny scored on either of those chances, Philadelphia might’ve bounced back against Washington.
“I’ve been talking to him [Konecny]. With TK, you can see where it’s at when he should turn that two-on-one into an one-on-one. He should go down and say ‘I am scoring this goal.’ Not get involved in a passing play, two-on-one. That’s where his mindset is right now. I want him to score that goal, not make a pass. Take the ice away from Mich [Michkov] and turn it into a one-on-one, and you go score that goal. That’s the way he’s going to get out of it. That’s the mindset he needs to get back to. That’s the player he is, but he’s not there. There’s constant conversations right now.” – John Tortorella; 3/20/2025
Tortorella pulled Ersson. The Flyers continued to crash the crease, turning into a scoring effort from Couturier, 3-2, with 2:36 remaining in the third period. Poehling crashed the crease with another scoring chance. The puck remained loose, and Couturier forced the puck across the goal line. Tortorella challenged this scoring play, overturning the premature whistle into a goal.
Again, Tortorella pulled Ersson. Couturier and Tippett pressured with a couple of shots on goal, forcing Lindgren to freeze the puck in the final minute. He closed the win, saving a shot by Foerster and securing a postseason berth for the Capitals.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers begin a weekend back-to-back, visiting first against the Dallas Stars on Saturday at 2:00pm/ET.
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