031818 | RMNB

Season series flop: numbers for the morning after

The Washington Capitals laid an egg against their Metro Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. Giveaways, odd man rushes, and defensive zone breakdowns doomed the Caps as Philipp Grubauer could not be superhuman enough to stem the tide.

The Flyers out-shot the Caps 35 to 28 and out-attempted them at five-on-five 51 to 43.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov entered a contest to win a jersey signed by Evgeny Kuznetsov

Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov may not have played Sunday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, but he did get involved on social media.

After the Caps lost 6-3 at Wells Fargo Center, Evgeny Kuznetsov entered an NBC Sports Washington contest to win a signed Evgeny Kuznetsov jersey.

Yes, you read that right.

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By Ian Oland On March 18, 2018 0 Comment

TJ Oshie fights Travis Konecny in marathon middleweight bout

TJ Oshie has scored three goals in his last two games, but Sunday he brought out his mashers. With the Capitals down 4-1 in the third period, Osh tried to fire up his club by fighting an angry Travis Konecny.

The bout lasted nearly 40 seconds and featured huge punches throughout.

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By Ian Oland On March 18, 2018 0 Comment

Flummoxed by Philly: Flyers beat Caps 6-3

Another Metro showdown, but a different result tonight. The Caps and potential first round playoff opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers matched up in a game that could have extended Washington’s win streak to five games. Instead, the Caps fell in a sloppy effort that goaltender Philipp Grubauer could not salvage despite his best efforts.

Nada in the first. Shayne Gostisbehere led things off in the second before Alex Ovechkin’s 43rd of the season tied things up. Oskar Lindblom’s first NHL goal put the Flyers up one and they would add another on a deflection moments later.

Wayne Simmonds scored early in the third to extend the lead even further. Chandler Stephenson finished off a two-on-one. Simmonds added one more. John Carlson put home a strange backhand. Jakub Voracek empty netter.

Flyers beat Caps 6-3.

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By Chris Cerullo On March 18, 2018 0 Comment

Alex Ovechkin ties Jari Kurri in career goals on Travis Boyd’s first NHL point

With Evgeny Kuznetsov ailing, rookie Travis Boyd received a huge opportunity to center the first line of Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. The move paid off.

A fantastic individual play by the longtime Hershey Bear led to the Capitals first goal of the game. Alex Ovechkin scored the goal. It was Ovechkin’s 43rd of the season and 601st of his career. The Russian machine is now tied with Jari Kurri for 19th all time in goals.

The assist was Boyd’s first career NHL point.

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By Ian Oland On March 18, 2018 1 Comment

Brooks Orpik is day-to-day with lower-body injury, will miss Flyers game

Sunday afternoon, Capitals PR announced that Brooks Orpik will not suit up against the Flyers and “is listed as day-to-day” with a lower-body injury.

Details about how, or when, Orpik suffered his injury were not disclosed. However, Orpik was projected to play per Mike Vogel’s update earlier in the day.

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On March 18, 2018 0 Comment

Barry Trotz confirms Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back before the playoffs

Friday night, Evgeny Kuznetsov took a slash to the left arm and was unable to finish the Capitals game against the New York Islanders. There were fears the injury could be significant, but the Caps announced on Saturday that Kuznetsov was “day-to-day” following the upper-body scare.

Sunday, Barry Trotz announced even more good news during his pregame press conference with the media.

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By Ian Oland On March 18, 2018 0 Comment

Caps at Flyers pregame: Another division duel

On this lovely Sunday afternoon, the Capitals have trekked up to Philadelphia to play the Flyers in another Metropolitan division brawl. The Flyers have only won three of their last ten games, while the Capitals continue to impress on their four game winning streak. It might be a bit harder for the Capitals to close tonight, being on the road and without Evgeny Kuznetsov, but based on the Flyers recent performance, I remain optimistic.

Look, I’m not usually the first person to have high hopes about anything hockey related, but the fact is that the Capitals are currently on a solid winning streak. This winning streak nonsense is occurring…at exactly the correct time. I’m constantly a ball of both nerves and excitement.

Puck drop will be a tad after 5 PM on NBCSWA, just so you can get to sleep at a proper time. Our favorite boy from the comments, Mr. Christopher, will have your recap.
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By Elyse Bailey On March 18, 2018 0 Comment