Despite Injuries, Flyers’ Heart Intact in 5-1 Domination Over Capitals

With the news this morning that Claude Giroux would be out of the line-up indefinitely with a concussion, there was an opportunity for the team to use that as an excuse for a poor effort tonight.

Instead, the Flyers put forward one of their best games of the season, dominating the Washington Capitals 5-1.

Some credit is deserved to the Capitals, who displayed little emotion and compete level throughout the game, but considering the Flyers had six rookies in the line-up, the win is all the more impressive. Sean Couturier centered Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell on the top line, Matt Read stayed on the second line, Harry Zolnierczyk and Zac Rinaldo skated with Jody Shelley on the fourth line, and Marc Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall once again filled out the bottom defensive pairing.

Hartnell scored the first goal of the game, a wrister that should not have beaten goaltender Tomas Vokoun, but it bounced through his five-hole.  It was his 15^th goal of the season and the 200^th of his career. Hartnell, amazingly, is on pace for 42 goals this season.

Bourdon tallied the first goal of his NHL career, shooting the puck from the blue line through traffic. It looked initially like Shelley tipped it in, but it was later determined that the puck deflected off Capital forward Mathieu Perreault.

Wayne Simmonds and Max Talbot padded the lead in the second period, each earning their 8^th goals of the season. Talbot has now tied his goal output from 2010-11 with the Penguins.

Vokoun, who did everything he could to keep the Capitals out of the game, was pulled after the second period, letting the four goals in on just 21 shots.

Jake Voracek deflected a shot from Matt Carle in the third period to further cement the win.  Carle, who was a +3 along with Bourdon, led the team in ice time with 25:27.  If not for losing a battle in the defensive end that led to the Capitals’ lone goal, Ilya Bryzgalov would have earned his second shutout.

I received some criticism the other day for saying “I owe Bryzgalov an apology,” but that praise was proffered because I felt he had turned his game around after I had criticized him based on his contract. Bryz had a very strong outing, stopping 31 of 32 shots.

The Flyers are now in second place in the NHL with 41 points.

Peter Laviolette spoke on CSN after the game, saying, “I think there’s a belief in the room that we have the depth to cover this.”  It’s a testament to the group assembled if that’s the case, and tonight’s win was a sure sign that their beliefs are justified.

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