Capitals at Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals cap a busy weekend when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet in the City of Brotherly Love for an afternoon contest on Sunday. The Flyers hold a slight advantage on Washington in their season series after three games, but the Capitals can score a 2-1-1 victory in the set with a regulation win at Philadelphia. Washington has won a season-high four straight games, while Philadelphia is 5-1-2 in its last eight home contests.
Both the Flyers and the Capitals recorded 3-2 shootout victories on Saturday afternoon, with Washington defeating the New York Islanders while Philadelphia edged Nashville. The Capitals are battling for home ice in the Metropolitan Division playoff race, while the Flyers are four points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington’s 12-4-4 record against divisional opponents inspires much more confidence than Philadelphia’s 7-10-4 mark.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (33-17-10): Braden Holtby is likely to get the nod again Sunday after being in net versus the Islanders, but Washington could give backup netminder Justin Peters a rare start. Nicklas Backstrom leads the league in points with 64. Jason Chimera returned to the lineup Saturday after two games as a healthy scratch and recorded 10 minutes of ice time.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (25-23-11): Ray Emery is expected to start Sunday after Rob Zepp was in net against the Predators. Wayne Simmonds has five goals and four assists on a career-high seven-game point streak. Vincent Lecavalier was a healthy scratch Saturday to make room for Zac Rinaldo, who played for the first time in 11 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has 29 goals and 46 points in 36 career games against Philadelphia.
2. Washington is 16-10-5 on the road while the Flyers are 16-8-5 at home.
3. The Capitals have not won five straight contests since an eight-game winning streak in April 2013.