WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals downed the Philadelphia Flyers in an offense-filled 6-3 win Wednesday night, defeating their longtime rival for the second night in a row. Connor McMichael notched two goals on the night, scoring on Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov twice in just 3:12.
McMichael’s back-to-back goals gave the Caps a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and earned him First Star of the Game honors; his second goal proved the eventual game-winner. He now has seven points in his last four games (3g, 4a), while his eight points rank second on the team in scoring.
Just minutes after Nic Dowd gave Washington a 2-0 lead, McMichael struck on a breakaway, speeding into the Flyers’ zone after a pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois before backhanding the puck into the net.
McMichael got his name on the scoresheet again shortly after that breakaway, redirecting a shot from defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Dubois, who earned points on both of McMichael’s tallies, explained postgame that he and his teammates had hoped McMichael could manage the hat trick.
“Mikey was good tonight,” he said. “We were trying to get that third one for him, but he did a lot of good things out there.”
The Capitals’ second line of McMichael, Dubois, and Tom Wilson has been arguably the team’s strongest to start the year, scoring six of the club’s 22 even-strength goals. Wilson had a four-game goal streak to start the year and Dubois now has four points in six games after a three-point night (1g, 2a) against Philadelphia.
When asked about McMichael after the win, Dubois had nothing but praise for his winger.
“He’s a smart player,” he said. “He’s got all the tools, but he’s really smart out there. He makes plays, he can pass it from anywhere, he can shoot. He’s kind of that player that does it all so it’s been really fun to play with him and he’s doing really well right now, so we’re all happy for him.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery has followed McMichael’s development even before he came to DC, coaching him on the Hershey Bears in 2020-21. After coaching him in both Hershey and Washington, Carbery told reporters on Wednesday he was happy to see McMichael’s hard work pay off.
“A lot of positives [tonight], like where his game’s at,” Carbery said. “Thus far this year he’s playing at a real high level, making plays. That finish on the breakaway is huge for our team. He just looks really good. And I’m happy for him because offensively, I’ve talked about it a ton, he plays in every situation. He’s one of our smartest players that we have and he’s getting into some situations now where he can show his offensive ability to finish and make plays, and he’s doing both those.
“Makes unbelievable plays to Willy, the one from last game with the sauce pass across on his backhand, like elite, elite plays that are leading to, if not a chance, goals and then to finish in some of those situations is huge for him at a real high level.”
Nic Dowd, too, spoke highly of McMichael’s progress over the years, looking back to his early years in the NHL. After playing 68 games in 2021-22, McMichael spent nearly all of the following season back in the AHL, dressing just six times in 2022-23. He won a Calder Cup with Hershey that spring before becoming a regular part of the Caps’ lineup once again in his fourth pro season, scoring 33 points (18g, 15a) in 80 games.
“[I’ve seen] confidence,” Dowd said of McMichael. “It’s tough to come to the NHL. He was a young kid. Came in, didn’t get a lot of games under his belt right away. Watched a lot of hockey. But I think it speaks to his maturity to be able to absorb that, roll with it, and then come in, and he played really good hockey last year and he’s played unbelievable hockey this year.
“I think it’s good for him to play with guys like Willy and Dubie, experienced guys…Mikey’s been really good. The thing about him is he’s undercover fast. He can skate. Smart player. And he’s just matured a ton and I think what people don’t understand is defensively, he’s become a really really reliable player.”
Thanks in part to McMichael’s efforts Wednesday night, the Capitals extended their win streak to five games. They’ll look to add another to that count when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at 7 pm.
