John Carlson

The next eight games come on home ice for the Flyers, starting on Thursday night as they take on the Washington Capitals.  

For most of the game, they stayed the course, but not in a way that is surviving another team’s push. They controlled large portions of the game with their play. It also helped that the goaltending remained on point, one of the most noticeable consistencies of the first 10 games of the season. The result was a big two points in regulation against a divisional opponent that had only lost in regulation once all season, and silencing an all-time great in the scoring column with a milestone in his sights.

The Flyers close out a quick two-game road trip against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, looking to once again rebound and get back in the win column. 

The Flyers suffered a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals in the preseason finale on Friday night, finishing with a 2-3-1 record in the preseason.

The Capitals chances at the division title took a hit in that loss, one they will be looking to avenge in the final meeting of the season against the Flyers on Saturday night.

The Capitals have a lot to play for, looking to claim an edge in the East Division race. Just like earlier this week against Pittsburgh, the Flyers look to play spoiler, starting with Friday night's opener.

Alex Ovechkin scored another pair of goals to bring his season total against the Flyers to eight and his career total to 730, as the Capitals handed the Flyers a 6-3 loss on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers should have plenty of motivation to continue their positive play from Thursday, beings that Saturday afternoon's opponent handed them another embarrassing defeat earlier this week. The Washington Capitals are back at Wells Fargo Center for another matchup.

In his first game with the Capitals, Anthony Mantha had a goal and an assist as the Flyers were once again throttled by the opposition, falling to the Capitals, 6-1, on Tuesday night.

The Flyers face the Washington Capitals one day after the two teams were trade partners on deadline day. Michael Raffl will not play Tuesday, but newcomer Anthony Mantha will be in the lineup for Washington.