The Washington Capitals traveled up to Philadelphia with a roster made up almost entirely of recent draft picks, prospects, and AHL regulars. They took on a Flyers team icing a veteran dress-rehearsal lineup for Opening Night and still came away as impressive 5-1 victors.
After going down 1-0 early in the second period, the Baby Caps scored five unanswered markers to shock the Flyers on their own ice. Andrew Cristall started the scoring party, followed by Maxim Schafer, Ethen Frank, Theodor Niederbach, and Lynden Lakovic.
Charlie Lindgren was incredible for the Capitals in net, allowing just one goal on the 33 shots he faced in two periods of work.
Goals
Andrew Cristall goal (via @Capitals/X)
Maxim Schafer goal (via @Capitals/X)
Ethen Frank goal (via @Capitals/X)
Theodor Niederbach goal (via @Capitals/X)
Lynden Lakovic goal (via @Capitals/X)
Observations
- The Flyers certainly dominated the first half of this game from an overall five-on-five play standpoint, but the Capitals battened down the hatches and got a superb goaltending performance to stave off a deficit too big to come back from. The Baby Caps eventually got adjusted to the game and legitimately started taking it to the Flyers, especially in the third period. During the final frame in regulation, the Caps finished up in shots (8-4), scoring chances (7-5), high-danger chances (6-3), and goals (2-0) at five-on-five.
- Charlie Lindgren had what is probably the best preseason game of his career, making 32 stops in just 40 minutes of action. He looked in prime form after a somewhat shaky first start this fall. Cal Petersen, a former Flyers goalie, took over for him in the third period and stopped all four shots he faced. Goaltending is not going to be an issue for this Capitals team this season, barring injury.
- I really loved what we saw from Lynden Lakovic, the Capitals’ 2025 first-round pick. The youngster showed off his unique combination of size, speed, and lethal scoring ability, netting Washington’s fifth goal of the game when he chopped home a deft feed from Alex Suzdalev. Lakovic finished with a goal, four shots, five shot attempts, four individual scoring chances, three individual high-danger chances, and one shot block.
- The hot streak on the power play also continued as Ethen Frank rifled home a top-shelf one-timer from Alex Ovechkin’s office. The Caps also put together another great-looking two minutes in the third period that they were unlucky to score on. I’m really enjoying the new emphasis on constant movement, both with and without the puck.
- The only two Capitals players to finish with above 20 minutes of time on ice were young defensemen Cam Allen (21:39) and Ryan Chesley (21:37). Both are expected to be key cogs on Hershey’s backend this season, with Chesley potentially in line to climb to the NHL at some point on a recall.
- Andrew Cristall also looked great and was probably unlucky to leave the game with only two points (1g, 1a). That saucer pass to Ethen Frank late in the game was chef’s kiss worthy.
