Flyers at Capitals
The Philadelphia Flyers have struggled mightily on the road and will look to snap a five-game skid away from the City of Brotherly Love when they visit the red-hot Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Philadelphia has gotten the better of its Metropolitan Division rival in the last four meetings, including a 3-2 overtime victory last Wednesday. All-Star Jakub Voracek scored on the power play in the extra session and extended his point streak to three games with a goal and an assist in the Flyers' 7-3 rout of Tampa Bay on Monday.
While Philadelphia matched a season high with its goal total versus the Lightning, Washington has yielded just 10 tallies during its six-game home winning streak and owns an impressive 13-1-4 mark in its last 18 contests overall. Captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 28th goal in 34 career contests versus the Flyers and also netted his franchise-record 74th game-winning tally in a 2-1 triumph over Colorado on Monday. Braden Holtby is expected to make his career-best 20th consecutive start and face a familiar foe in Ray Emery, who took him to task during a one-sided goalie fight last season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, RSN, TVA
ABOUT THE FLYERS (17-19-7): While the scoreboard was kind to Philadelphia on Monday, the injury bug wasn't as defenseman Braydon Coburn is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks with a suspected broken left foot. Coburn has averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time in 31 games this season for the Flyers, who will turn to blue-liner Carlo Colaiacovo in his absence. "I can't even describe how I feel right now. I'm just really looking forward to getting back," Colaiacovo told the Philadelphia Inquirer of ending his string of 26 consecutive games as a healthy scratch.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (23-11-8): Nicklas Backstrom traditionally has torched the Flyers, and the last meeting was no exception. The 27-year-old Swede scored a goal to ignite his current three-game point streak and has 12 tallies and 29 assists in 27 career contests versus Philadelphia. Holtby has been sizzling hot during the Capitals' torrid play but fell to 3-2-4 with a 3.34 goals-against average in his career versus the Flyers.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux, who is riding a four-game point streak, has recorded 13 goals and 10 assists in 22 career contests versus Washington.
2. The Capitals recalled D Steven Oleksy from Hershey of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.
3. The Flyers, who are just 6-13-4 on the road, have scored seven power-play goals in their last five contests.