Feb 25 2009
Flyers storm past Capitals
Clinging to a measly four-point lead over the ninth place Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference standings, the Flyers needed to figure out how to get a road win over one of the best home teams in the NHL, the Washington Capitals. Things didn’t look good for Philly early on, but a three-goal burst during a three minute and 19 second span in the third period propelled the Flyers to a 4-2 win. It was just another exciting chapter in one of the NHL’s newest and most intense rivalries.
The Caps struck first when Nicklas Backstrom scored only 1:48 into the game and four seconds into a power play to give Washington a 1-0 lead. The hole got a little deeper early in the second period when Alexander Ovechkin found the net. Ovey stole Jeff Carter’s clearing attempt, and as he was falling down after being inadvertently bumped by a teammate, flicked it past Flyers’ goalie Antero Niittymaki to increase the Capitals’ advantage to 2-0.
The Flyers cut their deficit in half during a 5-on-3 power play when rookie Claude Giroux scored from a tough angle to make it 2-1. In the third period, Philly’s offense exploded. Scott Hartnell fired a laser past Washington netminder Jose Theodore, who made 33 saves, to tie the game. One minute and twenty-five seconds later, Carter cleaned up a rebound and lit the lamp to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Less than two minutes after Carter’s score, Arron Asham weaved through the Capitals’ defenders and made some nice moves as he totally undressed Theodore and put Philly up 4-2. That was more than enough for Niitty, who made 33 saves and kept Washington off the scoreboard in the third period , as the Flyers left the Verizon Center with a big come-from-behind win.
The Flyers won’t have any time to savor their win as they return to the ice tonight when they host the Los Angeles Kings. When these two teams met earlier this season in the City of Angels, the Kings picked up a 2-1 shootout victory. It’s time for the Flyers to get some revenge.
Let’s Go Flyers!
