Capitals Pound Flyers, 6-1; Anthony Mantha Scores In Capitals Debut

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Jon Sorensen

The Washington Capitals trounced the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-1, Tuesday Night at Capital One Arena. The victory improves the Capitals record to 28-11-4 (60 points) on the season.

The Capitals opened the scoring early in the first stanza with a tally from Conor Sheary, but the Flyers struck back less than two minutes later to tie the game 1-1 midway through the opening period. However, that would be it for the Flyers.

The Capitals answered with goals from Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin for a 4-1 lead at the first intermission.

New guy Anthony Mantha would stretch the Capitals lead with his first tally as a Capital midway through the middle frame for a 5-1 lead at the second break. Alex Ovechkin would add a power play goal early in the final frame for the 6-1 final.

GAME STATS

STARTERS

Ilya Samsonov (9-3-0-1, 2.97 GAA, .894 SV%) started between the pipes for the Capitals. Brian Elliott (11-5-0-1, .894 sv%, 2.87 GAA) got the start in goal for the visiting Flyers. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Scratches: Trevor van Reimsdyk, Michael Raffl

The Capitals acquired Anthony Mantha and Michael Raffl prior to the trade deadline on April 12. Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik and Jonas Siegenthaaler were traded prior to the  trade deadline.

FIRST PERIOD

The Capitals opened the scoring with a goal from Conor Sheary (11) at 7:07 of the opening frame. Daniel Sprong (7) and Lars Eller (12) had the assists.

The lead lasted less than two minutes, as the Flyers would tie the game at 8:45 of the first frame with a goal from Sean Couturier (13).

But the Capitals quickly regained the lead and never looked back, scoring five unanswered goals.

Tom Wilson (11) would add a power play goal at 11:32 of the first period. Conor Sheary (7) and Anthony Mantha (11) had the helpers.

The Capitals would extend their lead to 3-1 with a power play marker from Nicklas Backkstrom (14) at 16:25 of the first frame. Alex Ovechkin (17) and John Carlson (26) had the assists.

The Capitals weren’t done in the period. Carl Hagelin (5) would stretch the Capitals lead to 4-1 . John Carlson (27) and Dmitry Orlov (7) had the assists.

The period would end with the Capitals leading 4-1. The Capitals led in shot attempts 20-15 and shots on goal 19-9 in the opening frame. The Capitals led in scoring chances 7-5.  Washington was 2 for 2 on the power play while the Flyers did not have a man advantage.

SECOND PERIOD

The Capitals would make it 5-0 with a goal from new guy Anthony Mantha (12) at 9:22 of the middle frame. T.J. Oshie (20) and Nicklas Backstrom (30) had the helpers.

That would be it for the scoring in the middle frame. The Flyers led in shot attempts 11-8 in the second period with the Capitals leading 28-26 after two periods. The Capitals led in scoring chances 5-3 in the second period and 12-8 after 40 minutes. The Flyers were 0 for 1 and the Capitals 2 for 2 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD

The Capitals stretched their lead to 6-1 with a power play goal from Alex Ovechkin (22) at 5:10 of the third period. Tom Wilson (16) and Conor Sheary (8) had the helpers.

That would be all of the scoring as the Capitals held on for the 6-1 win.

The Capitals return to action on Thursday night when they host the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

NOTES

  • Flyers led in shot attempts 48-37.
  • Ilya Samsonov stopped 29 of 30 shots for a .967 game save percentage.
  • Flyers led in scoring chances at 5v5 21-14.

SHAVINGS

  • Conor Sheary opened the scoring for the Caps with his 11th goal of the season and his third in his last two games.
  • Nicklas Backstrom recorded his 714th career assist on the Capitals’ fifth goal, passing Daniel Alfredsson for the fourth-most assists by a Swedish born player in NHL history.
  • Anthony Mantha becomes the 49th Capital in franchise history to score in his debut.
  • Alex Ovechkin gives the Caps a 6-1 lead with his 22nd goal of the season, which is tied for fourth in the NHL. He’s now four goals shy of passing Marcel Dionne (731) for the fifth-most goals in NHL history.
  • John Carlson will play in his 800th career game tonight against Philadelphia. He will become the 23rd active player to reach the mark and the eighth player in franchise history to skate in 800 games.
  • The Capitals have allowed two power play goals in their last nine games, stopping 23 of their 25 (92.0%) power plays against. During that span, which dates back to March 30, their 92.0 penalty kill percentage ranks tied for second in the NHL.
  • The Capitals have scored three power play goals in consecutive games and have scored eight power play goals in 17 power play opportunities (47.1%) over their last four games.

By Jon Sorenen

SCENES FROM THE DISTRICT

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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