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Washington Capitals

Capitals vs. Flyers: Tale of the Tape, Lines, Players To Watch

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Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals will close out what’s been an up-and-down six-game road swing as they return to the East Coast and take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

Here is everything to know before puck drop, including the full tale of the tape, lines and names to keep an eye on.

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Tale of the Tape

It’s been a bumpy ride from Washington (11-12-3) as they toured the Pacific Northwest and Alberta, as they came back east with a couple of big wins and some rather tough losses. However, the Capitals are coming off what’s arguably their best game of the season, a hard-earned 3-2 win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers that saw the entire lineup step up with the team missing its usual myriad of forwards, three top-4 defensemen and a No. 1 goaltender.

Meanwhile, special teams has been strong. Washington’s power play has goals in three straight games and six of the last seven games overall, and it’s 6-for-21 dating back to Nov. 23 (28.6 percent). And on the penalty kill, the club has killed off 54 of the last 64 power-play opportunities against in the last 22 games (84.4), good for second in the league over that span.

As for Philadelphia (9-12-5), the Flyers have been through it. The club recently ended a 10-game losing skid with a big win over the New York Islanders and also earned a strong 5-3 win over the injury-riddled defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. Overall, Philadelphia has won two of its last 14 games, but it still won’t be an easy time, as the Flyers have shown what they can do over this stretch.

On the special teams front, it hasn’t been a great time for Philly; the team’s power play is the third-worst in the league (16.1) and the penalty kill is the 10th-worst (74.7).

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Lines

Based on morning skate, the lines are expected to remain the same as they were for Monday’s tilt in Edmonton. Martin Fehervary and Darcy Kuemper, who are day-to-day with upper-body injuries, will not play. It also looks like Dmitry Orlov will miss his 14th straight game as he deals with a lingering lower-body ailment.

Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Conor Sheary

Sonny Milano-Evgeny Kuznetsov-T.J. Oshie

Marcus Johansson-Lars Eller-Anthony Mantha

Aliaksei Protas-Nic Dowd-Garnet Hathaway

Erik Gustafsson-John Carlson

Trevor van Riemsdyk-Nick Jensen

Alex Alexeyev-Matt Irwin

Charlie Lindgren will get the start, while Hunter Shepard will back up.

Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Players To Watch

When it comes to who to watch, look out for Dylan Strome. He became the second Capitals player this season to hit 20 points and he has points in four of his last five outings, including assists in back-to-back games. Lars Eller has also been heating up with points in back-to-back games and three of his last four overall. Nick Jensen’s 10 assists also lead the club, and Sonny Milano has four assists in his last six games. And as always, keep an eye on Alex Ovechkin, who is seven goals away from 800 and continues to be hungry.

For the Flyers, Kevin Hayes leads the team in scoring and has points in five of his last six outings, with eight points total over that span. Meanwhile, Travis Konecny, who recently returned from injury, has goals in five of his last six games. Travis Sanheim is on a four-game point streak, and Tony DeAngelo is also on a three-game point streak, and also look out for Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk, who will return to the lineup vs. D.C.

How To Tune Into The Game

Local Washington fans can watch live on NBC Sports Washington and tune in to listen on Caps Radio 24/7. Philly fans can get the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The game will also be on ESPN+.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET at Wells Fargo Center.