The Capitals smother the Flyers

Two short-handed strikes keep Washington burning

Scoring a man short

The Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers came to qualification night carrying the same scar. In 2023-24, both had gone dark on the very first night: the Capitals beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers by the New York Rangers. One of them would finally burn past night one. The other would be snuffed there again.

Washington settled it while shorthanded. Nic Dowd flipped a backhand home at 3:49 of the 1st, a man down, with Martin Fehérváry assisting. At 4:29, Nicolas Deslauriers and Dylan McIlrath dropped the gloves. Then, short-handed again at 15:07, Andrew Mangiapane ripped a wrist shot past Samuel Ersson off a Connor McMichael feed. That goal held up as the winner.

A spark, then smothered

Philadelphia waited until 0:34 of the 3rd, 25:27 after Mangiapane's goal, before defenseman Travis Sanheim wristed one in from Cam York and Matvei Michkov. The spark lasted 1:04. John Carlson, a defenseman, answered with a wrist shot at 1:38, and McMichael had his second assist. Jakob Chychrun, another blueliner, sealed it at 14:07 from Brandon Duhaime and Jakub Vrana.

Charlie Lindgren stopped 17 of 18, and the Flyers managed only 18 shots to Washington's 29. For a second straight Gauntlet, Philadelphia's flame went cold on qualification night. The Capitals burn on, one of 31 candles still lit.