Flyers-Capitals: Game 18 Preview

The Flyers passed a significant test last weekend with back-to-back shootout wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, both on the road. This week, the schedule doesn't get any easier.

The Flyers will be back on home ice, where they enter play on Wednesday with a 6-1-1 record, but get the task of facing the NHL's best team, the Washington Capitals.

The Capitals just had a six-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. They are currently on a 12-game points streak.

The Flyers enter with a streak of their own, having won their last four games and earned points in six straight games.

Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Washington Capitals	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	17	8	11	19	John Carlson	19	8	21	29
Oskar Lindblom	17	8	6	14	Alex Ovechkin	19	13	10	23
Sean Couturier	17	5	8	13	Evgeny Kuznetsov	16	8	10	18
Claude Giroux	17	4	8	12	Jakub Vrana	19	9	8	17
Jake Voracek	17	4	8	12	Tom Wilson	19	8	8	16

Player to Watch
23 Oskar Lindblom	92 Evgeny Kuznetsov
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 3 A, 4 P, +3	Last 5 Games: 3 G, 6 A, 9 P, +8

The Flyers top line continues to contribute on a regular basis. Oskar Lindblom is a big part, tied for the team lead with eight goals. All three members of this line can be dangerous, but Lindblom's positioning near the net can certainly help against the Capitals, where you may need to get a couple of greasy goals.

You could point to several Capitals off to hot starts, but in the last week, Evgeny Kuznetsov has been at the top of the list. Kuznetsov has nine points in the last five games, including three goals over the last two games.

Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart	70 Braden Holtby
11 GP, 6-3-1, 2.71 GAA, .893 SV%	13 GP, 8-1-3, 3.25 GAA, .898 SV%

Carter Hart saw limited action through the first two periods in Boston, then stole the show in the third with 15 saves. He did not allow a goal in the shootout either, securing another key road win for the Flyers. With three wins in the last week, it is no surprise that Hart gets back in goal to face the NHL's best team.

Braden Holtby hasn't been off to a stellar start by the numbers, but with Washington's lethal offense, he has kept the team in games, getting wins in eight of his 13 appearances.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick, Scott Laughton

Scratches: Chris Stewart, Robert Hagg

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
25 James van Riemsdyk	28 Claude Giroux	49 Joel Farabee
23 Oskar Lindblom	14 Sean Couturier	11 Travis Konecny
81 Carsen Twarynski	13 Kevin Hayes	93 Jake Voracek
10 Andy Andreoff	12 Michael Raffl	18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	15 Matt Niskanen
53 Shayne Gostisbehere	61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim	5 Phil Myers
Goalie
79 Carter Hart	37 Brian Elliott

Lineup Notes

Given the success the Flyers experienced over the weekend, no changes are expected to the lineup for Wednesday night's game.

Capitals Projected Lineup

Injuries: Carl Hagelin

Scratches: Travis Boyd, Liam O'Brien, Tyler Lewington

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
8 Alex Ovechkin	19 Nicklas Backstrom	77 T.J. Oshie
13 Jakub Vrana	92 Evgeny Kuznetsov	43 Tom Wilson
18 Chandler Stephenson	20 Lars Eller	14 Richard Panik
28 Brendan Leipsic	26 Nic Dowd	21 Garnet Hathaway
Defense
6 Michal Kempny	74 John Carlson
9 Dmitri Orlov	33 Radko Gudas
34 Jonas Siegenthaler	3 Nick Jensen
Goalie
70 Braden Holtby	30 Ilya Samsonov

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (11th), Capitals (7th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (7th), Capitals (6th)
Recent History vs. Capitals
- Jan. 8, 2019 - Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at WSH)
- March 6, 2019 - Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
- March 14, 2019 - Capitals 5, Flyers 2 (at PHI)
- March 24, 2019 - Capitals 3, Flyers 1 (at WSH)
Flyers Leaders vs. Capitals
- Claude Giroux - 41 GP, 20 G, 20 A, 40 P
- Jake Voracek - 35 GP, 15 G, 15 A, 30 P
- Sean Couturier - 29 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 30 GP, 8 G, 11 A, 19 P
- Carter Hart - 1 GP, 0-1-0, 4.00 GAA, .871 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Jake Voracek needs one goal to reach 200 for his career.
- Kevin Hayes needs four goals to reach 100 for his career.