Capitals shut out Flyers, 2-0, in opener
WASHINGTON - Ed Snider would have liked the Flyers' lunch-pail effort Thursday at the red-clad Verizon Center, but he would not have enjoyed the result.
WASHINGTON - Ed Snider would have liked the Flyers' lunch-pail effort Thursday at the red-clad Verizon Center, but he would not have enjoyed the result.
Washington 2, Flyers 0.
In a physical matchup, the top-seeded Capitals took a lead of one game to none in the best-of-seven first-round series that resumes here on Saturday night.
Making matters worse, the Flyers lost invaluable center Sean Couturier to a second-period injury. Couturier appeared to injure his left shoulder severely, and he will be re-evaluated Friday.
If Couturier is sidelined for more time, the Flyers will probably turn to Scott Laughton
"I think for the most part, we played pretty well," defenseman Mark Streit said. "We have to be a little bit more disciplined. We took too many penalties, and that gave them a lot of momentum. But for the most part, we did a pretty good job. Guys blocked shots and sacrificed their body. Five-on-five, we played well."
Jay Beagle, capitalizing on Jake Voracek's turnover, made it 2-0 by scoring from the high slot with 3 minutes, 24 seconds left.
The Flyers shut down Washington's vaunted top line, which features the NHL's leading goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin. But they managed just 19 shots - and only eight over the last two periods.
The Flyers controlled a scoreless first period as they had 11 shots and a huge territorial edge, but they failed in the session's only three power-play attempts.
"The first period was key for us to get our legs under us," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said, "and I was real happy with our last 40 minutes defensively as far as allowing scoring chances."
Goalie Braden Holtby recorded his third career playoff shutout.
With 3:58 remaining in the second period, Brandon Manning inadvertently tipped a puck over the glass and was called for a delay of game penalty. Nineteen seconds later, John Carlson's point drive deflected off Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and went past goalie Steve Mason, giving Washington a 1-0 lead.
"The rule is there for a reason, I guess. . . . But just a deflection like that, I don't think it should be a penalty," Manning said. "It was just a reaction. The D-man dumped it in, and I kind of had my stick out and reacted to it. It deflected out; it definitely wasn't intentional."
Carlson, one of the Caps' best defensemen, was chosen 27th in the first round of the 2008 draft. The pick came from the Flyers in a trade for defenseman Steve Eminger, who spent just 12 games with the Orange and Black.
The Flyers stayed in the game by killing six penalty minutes in the first half of the third period. But it stalled their attack.
"That kind of disrupted the flow of things a little bit for us," said Mason, who stopped 29 of 31 shots and kept the Flyers in the game.
The Flyers got the game's first three power plays, and the Capitals received six of the last seven.
"We have a few things we have to work on," right winger Wayne Simmonds said of the team's power-play woes. "I think for us, it's just execution. Maybe get a few more shots through. Take away [Holtby's] eyes and get some traffic."
The Flyers were going to get a delayed penalty until Simmonds and Tom Wilson fought with 6:51 left. Simmonds also got two minutes for roughing, negating Wilson's boarding penalty - and the power play.
"Big-time," Simmonds said when he was asked if he was surprised to get the roughing penalty tacked on. "There was no rough."
The Flyers were just 3 for 17 on the power play against the Capitals in the regular season, and they continued to struggle in the first period. The first unit was out of sync, and whenever it created a scoring chance Holtby had the answer.
Holtby made his best power-play save in the first period when he denied Voracek on a rebound from the right circle with 11:34 left. The Flyers finished 0 for 4 on the power play.
As if the Flyers didn't have enough inspiration - they are playing for respected club chairman Snider, who died on Monday - they wore motivational practice shirts under their jerseys during the morning skate.
The back of the shirt had a saying, sent by a military man who is friends with some of the club personnel, that read: "It's all laid out. No excuses, no nothing. If you're going to die . . . die with your boots on."
On Thursday, the Flyers died because of their special teams.
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