Washington 1, Philadelphia 0
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Referees:
Mike Leggo, Jean Hebert
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Bryan Pancich
Attendance:
18506
By SportsDirect Inc.
Capitals 1, Flyers 0: Braden Holtby continued his torrid stretch by turning aside all 21 shots he faced for his 15th career shutout as Washington skated to its seventh straight home victory.
Jason Chimera scored early in the first period for the surging Capitals, who improved to 14-1-4 in their last 19 contests overall and snapped a four-game skid versus Philadelphia. Defenseman Matt Niskanen notched the lone assist on Chimera's fourth goal of the season.
Rob Zepp finished with 25 saves in suffering his first career loss in three outings for the Flyers, who have dropped six in a row on the road to fall to 6-14-4 on the season. Philadelphia failed on all three power-play opportunities, marking the first time in six games it didn't convert with the man advantage.
Making his career-best 20th consecutive start and franchise-high 26th straight appearance, Holtby turned aside seven shots in each period to register his fourth shutout of the season. The 25-year-old Saskatchewan native stopped Flyers captain Claude Giroux on a breakaway in the second session and received a bit of good fortune as Vincent Lecavalier fanned on a loose puck in front of the net in the final minute of the third.
Niskanen's shot from the right point was deftly deflected in front by Chimera, who sent the puck both between his own legs and the pads of Zepp 3:13 into the contest. Captain Alex Ovechkin nearly doubled the advantage late in the second period, but his blast from the left faceoff circle caromed off the crossbar before sailing back into play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington has won seven in a row at home for the first time since Dec. 20, 2011-Jan. 15, 2012. ... Flyers C Scott Laughton exited the contest late in the second period after absorbing an open-ice hit from Niskanen. Laughton did not return in the third. ... Philadelphia's Carlo Colaiacovo logged 15:08 of ice time in his return to the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in the previous 26 consecutive contests. Colaiacovo was back on the ice as fellow D Braydon Coburn is sidelined at least four weeks with a foot injury.
Top Game Performances
Philadelphia |
|
Washington |
N/A |
Points |
Jason Chimera 1 |
N/A |
Goals |
Jason Chimera 1 |
N/A |
Assists |
Matt Niskanen 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Rob Zepp .962 |
Save Percentage |
Braden Holtby 1.000 |
Rob Zepp 25 |
Saves |
Braden Holtby 21 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Philadelphia
|
21 |
0 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
4 |
25 |
Washington
|
26 |
1 |
0-2 |
3-3 |
6 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .632 after a loss.
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Flyers have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .333 after a loss.