Philadelphia Flyers: Capitals next on deck
After a few days off for the Flyers, they have the Washington Capitals up next on the schedule.
Right now, the Flyers are poised to be one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. With two losses under their belt, the Boston Bruins cannot finish any higher than the third seed. Tampa is poised to be the top seed with two wins thus far.
The Flyers have a chance to guarantee at least the second seed going into the first round. They have to defeat the Washington Capitals in regulation to make that happen. That would set up a battle this weekend with the Lightning for the top seed.
But first the Flyers must take care of Washington. And they’ll be doing that with a few different changes to their lineup. Firstly, they will have a new goaltender in net. Brian Elliott will be between the pipes for Philadelphia. He holds a 2-0 record versus the Capitals this season.
Joel Farabee will be on the third line while James van Riemsdyk was demoted to the fourth. He will try to get back on Vigneault’s good sign, but he will need a strong effort to do so. The head coach hasn’t been pleased with his effort thus far in Toronto.
There is the small chance that he ends up as a healthy scratch as well. He was taking turns at the fourth line winger spot with Connor Bunnaman during Wednesday’s practice.
For the Capitals, they’ll be without Lars Eller as he has returned him. He will be with his wife as they are expecting their second child. Travis Boys is expected to step into the third-role while Eller is gone.
The Flyers dominated the Capitals during the team’s last three meetings. Washington was outscored 16-7 and only managed a 2-1 shootout win back in November. The penalty kill stood tall for Philadelphia during the season series, a very strong part of their game.
Washington will be hungry coming in as their looking to grab a victory after falling to the Lightning this past Monday. And the Flyers will look to keep riding high after taking down the Bruins last Sunday.
It’s always a fierce battle when these two teams face off. Expect nothing less when the two hit the ice this afternoon.