Travis Konecny scores on his birthday as Flyers pick up a chippy 4-1 win over Capitals

A win with a capital ‘W.’

Coming off a disastrous performance on Monday against the New York Rangers and facing yet another division rival, the Flyers rediscovered who they are. In a chippy game between two teams clinging to playoff hopes, the Flyers bested the visiting Washington Capitals, 4-1.

The win tied the Flyers and Capitals at 71 points in the Eastern Conference standings and moved the Flyers seven back of the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot. They also trail eight points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders for the last two spots in the Metropolitan Division.

“Honestly, I’m not even looking at it right now,” forward Travis Konecny said about the standings. “I’m just trying to be like, ’You know what? We know where we’re at. Let’s just focus on every game, win as many as we can.’ And when the season ends, we’ll see where we’re at and just have fun. Go play hard and see where we get.”

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In their 64th game of the season, the Flyers trailed for the 44th time — eventually, winning for the 18th time when trailing 1-0, a league-best — when Ryan Leonard scored a power-play goal in the first period after Trevor Zegras was called for hooking.

The rookie Leonard dug the puck out of a pile along the half-wall, curled atop the left circle, and scored short-side past goalie Sam Ersson, who was making his first start since Feb. 28. Ersson, who got cleanup duty on Monday, may have been screened on the goal by Rasmus Ristolainen, who was trying to defend Leonard, and Travis Sanheim.

On his 29th birthday, Konecny tied the game with his 24th goal of the season, the same total he scored across 82 games last season. The goal came in the second period when his buddy, Sanheim, skated into the offensive zone and down the left boards with Zegras, drawing four defenders.

Sanheim found a seam and sent the puck across the ice to Konecny, who received it in the right circle. He skated down and found a hole short-side past Washington goalie Logan Thompson.

“We’ve given up the first goal a couple of times lately and letting it get away from us,” Konecny said. “Earlier in the year, we were, I think, getting scored on all the time, and just bouncing right back, so if we can get back into that mentality, I think it’s really good for us to see that tonight.”

Konecny has recorded at least a point when he’s played on his last four birthdays, and he has 58 points in 60 games this season. Alex Bump recorded his first NHL assist on the play.

Later in the middle frame, Zegras and Owen Tippett played hot potato — the good kind, not the kind coach Rick Tocchet mentioned on Monday — to give the Flyers their first lead at home since Feb. 28.

Tippett picked off a pass by the Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas that was intended for Tom Wilson inside the Flyers’ blue line and took off. He slightly tripped, but Zegras was right there with him as they got behind the defense, and Tippett passed it to his center as they crossed the Capitals’ blue line. Zegras touched it back to Tippett, who then touched it back to Zegras before he eventually beat Thompson.

“I heard him right away. He was yelling that he was with me, and I kind of got tripped up a little bit, I thought, and was able to keep my speed,” Tippett recalled.

“Tapped it to him, and I don’t think he saw the guy, how close he was. Obviously, I’d prefer not to give him a rolling puck like that, but he’s got great skill, and he obviously finished it.”

The goal was Zegras’ 22nd of the season, one off his career-high, but he just wanted to give credit to Tippett: “He’s the best. … To play with him is such a treat.”

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Tippett, who was playing a physical, speed game, added an empty-netter in the third period for his 21st of the season and his first multipoint game since Jan. 23.

“It’s scary,” said Konecny of Tippett’s speed, which he used several times on Wednesday to get behind the defense. “If I were [the opposition], I’d just skate to the bench to not eat the minus. Yeah, it’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it: the skill, the speed, the shot, that combination. It’s unbelievable.”

Added Jamie Drysdale: “Guy’s a stud. He’s an absolute horse for us.”

Zegras’ goal came just over a minute after Wilson laid a late hit on an unsuspecting Konecny after he knocked the puck down. It seemed to spark the team.

“Yeah, it’s tough. He’s kind of the heartbeat of the squad, right?” Zegras said. “Been here for a long time, produces every night, PKs, power play, everything in between. So definitely motivating. That stuff [stinks], but it’s part of the game.”

In the third, Drysdale extended the lead to 3-1 with his seventh goal of the season, tying his career-high set last year.

Cam York got a rebound shot on Thompson, and Noah Cates picked up the loose puck, carrying it around the net and trying a wrap-around. It slid off his stick right to Drysdale, who showed some patience to find a lane before scoring past the blocker of Thompson.

Tocchet recently mentioned that assistant coach Todd Reirden had been working with the defense to shoot more and, as Drysdale called it, “Having a shooting mindset.”

“Yeah, I think it’s more just not being gun-shy,” Drysdale added on Wednesday about himself after notching his second goal in the past six games and his fourth in the past 10. “Good things happen when you shoot the puck, and it’s kind of been showing as of late. So I think it’s a mindset that we’re developing as a group.”

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Forward Garnet Hathway and defenseman Emil Andrae were healthy scratches for the second straight game. … Ersson made 21 saves for his 10th win of the season. … Nikita Grebenkin mucked it up all night, earning a coincidental roughing penalty midgame and a double-minor at the final buzzer. “Really feisty, finishing the body, getting into the corner, going to the net,” Tocchet said. “ … He was just engaged. It’s really nice to see. He’s an identity player for us there tonight.”

The Flyers will head to Minnesota to take on Bobby Brink and the Wild on Thursday (8 p.m., NBCSP).

“I’m going to smoke him. I’m coming, Bobby,” Konecny said.

“Maybe I’ll try to call for the puck by his nickname, and he’ll throw it back to me,” he added. “We’ll see, but no, it’ll be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to seeing him after the game.”