Game Preview: Flyers @ Capitals: Super Sunday Tradition

The Capitals conclude their back-to-back weekend set with a home date against the Flyers on Super Bowl Sunday at Verizon Center. Puck-drop is 12:00 PM.

Washington is coming off a thrilling 3-2 shootout win over the Devils at Prudential Center. The Capitals will be looking for their third straight win in a row, after dropping two straight games prior. One team enters with a road shootout win while the other is coming off a home shootout loss. It is the eighth consecutive season the Capitals have hosted a game on the same day as the Super Bowl. Puck-drop is at noon as part of the NBC Game of the Week.

Series Flashback:
Their previous meeting wasn’t too long ago. In fact, it was 10 days ago in the same building. That game was also nationally televised by NBC Sports. On January 27th the Flyers beat Washington 4-3 in overtime. That game was the Capitals first game in eight days due to the snowstorm that struck the DMV that week. The Caps rallied twice in that contest to tie the game and to force overtime. First from a 2-0 setback and the next being a 3-2 deficit.

Series Matchup:
Sunday’s matinee against the Flyers is the teams their third of four meetings this season. These Metropolitan Division foes will meet one more time in Philly on March 30. NBC Sports carries that game as well.

Flyers:

Philadelphia is on the outside looking in for the Wild Card race. They are currently fifth with a 23-18-9 record with 55 points. They are only five points behind the first place Red Wings.

The Flyers are completing the second game of a back-to-back set of their own. On Saturday afternoon in Philly, the Flyers fell to the Rangers 3-2 in a shootout. Prior to that contest the Flyers had won three games in a row, the first of those three came against the Caps.

Capitals:

The Capitals are coming off of a 3-2 shootout victory over the Devils at “The Rock.” The Capitals got on the board first in the second period. Andre Burakovsky got the goal as Kuznetsov used his magical powers with a behind-the-back pass behind the goal. It fooled New Jersey netminder Cory Schneider.

The Devils would rally in the third period with consecutive goals to go up 2-1. The first came on a power play early in the frame by Joseph Blandisi. The second strike was a goal by Adam Henrique. The Caps would tie it late in the period as Paul Carey got his first NHL goal and that forced overtime.

Nobody could score on the three-on-three sudden death so the game moved to a shootout. In the shootout T.J. Oshie got it started while Alex Ovechkin finished it to seal the 3-2 victory over New Jersey.

Conference Standings: