Washington Capitals Grab 2-0 Series Lead Over Philadelphia Flyers

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Mary Chastain

The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. However, the score may mislead those who missed the game.

The Capitals did not dominate the game as much as the score suggests. The Flyers outshot the Capitals 42-23 and kept the pressure on superstar goalie Braden Holtby.

“He’s unbelievable,” boasted Capitals forward Marcus Johansson. “He’s making saves all over the place, and sometimes you’re just shocked when he gets to stop the puck. He’s so good. He’s such an unbelievable goalie for us, and he wins games every week and he’s done it all year. He was a huge part in this one.”

Alexander Ovechkin scored his 37th Stanley Cup playoff goal, giving him a total of 71 career playoff points.

But the most head-scratching moment in the playoffs so far occurred in the beginning of the second period. Jason Chimera chipped in the puck from over 200 feet and it miraculously found itself in the net under Flyers goalie Steve Mason.

“It put the team in a tough position after that,” Mason told the media after the game. “It’s a deflating goal and we’ve got to find ways to bounce back, and I think for the most part it didn’t really hinder us. Guys kept pressing forward.”

The Flyers fired back. Jakub Voracek managed to sneak one of the 42 shots past Holtby in the second period, cutting the lead to one.

“If you score one goal in two games, you don’t win many games,” he said. “Holtby was good; I’ll give him credit for that. We’ve got to dig in and get some bounces at home.”

The teams will play Game 3 on Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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