The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers did battle for the second time this season. The Metropolitan Division matchup has been testy in the past and the Caps really needed another two points before their upcoming week off.
Michal Kempny fired the Caps into the lead with a slapper through traffic that beat Martin Jones. Gerry Mayhew tied the game up on a Flyers power play. Joe Snively stayed hot with a power-play goal of his own. Travis Sanheim responded late in the second with an odd-man rush tally.
Mayhew with the tally to give the Flyers their first lead of the game. Garnet Hathaway with two straight huge goals to give the Caps their lead back. John Carlson empty netter.
Capitals beat Flyers 5-3!
- That first period from the Caps was their best period in what feels like weeks. You could argue they should have been up three goals but you’ll take any sort of lead right now. Martin Jones was…good. Weird sentence to write.
- Michal Kempny got back into the lineup for the first time since January 26 and was immediately involved in the game during his first shift as he took a tripping penalty. The penalty kill was great though and Kempny shortly after put the Caps into the lead with a slapper through multiple screens that found twine. He took another penalty in the third that wasn’t great.
- Ian wrote this really cool piece that features quotes from Joe B, Locker, and the NBCSWA TV crew about getting back on the road again to cover Caps away games. You should read it.
Maple Leaf Gardens scoreclock pic.twitter.com/tDyRPOdfiN
— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) February 18, 2022
- Eveything good the Caps did in the first they basically just reset with a bad second. They were hemmed in their zone for what felt like minutes at a time and let the Flyers right back into the game. After the first twenty minutes at five-on-five, they had a 5 to 0 advantage in high danger chances. The second period ended with that total tied at six apiece.
- Trevor van Riemsdyk got called for an instigator after Michal Kempny was boarded. If you remember, the Caps did not get that same exact call against the Senators when Tom Wilson was forced to fight after dropping Thomas Chabot with a big hit. NHL officiating is nothing but consistently inconsistent.
- Joe Snively got on the board again. That’s four goals and seven points in nine NHL games this season now. The former Little Cap is making his case to remain a Big Cap for the rest of this season. What a crafty little gem the Caps found in him.
- There’s been a whole lot of trade buzz around the Caps recently. They’ve been linked to the Canucks, Kraken, and Stars in their search of additions at the trade deadline which seems sort of focused on a forward more than a goaltender right now. When you look at those teams’ rosters what guys would you most like to see wearing a Caps uniform soon? I’d love Jared McCann or Yanni Gourde from Seattle personally.
Cat vs dog.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/ZrGrYFcVUz
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) February 17, 2022
- Garbage third against a garbage team. Typical for the Caps recently. The last forty minutes were bordering on terrible in all zones. Luckily the fourth line is unbelievably hot right now because the Caps probably deserved nothing from this game.
- Absolutely fantastic work on that extended five-on-three penalty kill in the third. Huge saves, blocks, and deflections of passes. Was fun to watch.
- I thought Ilya Samsonov was great again. Cant fault him for any of the goals against. Really nice to see him playing like this.
Awesome to see these two dudes back on the road. @JoeBpXp #joebsuitofthenight pic.twitter.com/PhYuem2BEO
— Good Tweet Pete 🌮 (@peterhassett) February 18, 2022
The Caps have a full week off before they’ll take on the New York Rangers at MSG. I’m sure that one won’t be spicy at all.
Headline photo courtesy of @trash__em/Twitter
