The Flyers go into the All-Star break feeling good about themselves.
Jake Voracek scored 38 seconds into overtime Wednesday - after goalie Braden Holtby lost his stick - as the Flyers stunned powerful Washington, 3-2, at the Verizon Center.
Voracek’s second goal of the game ended the Flyers’ three-game losing streak and handed the Capitals their first home loss since Nov. 19.
The Flyers are 21-18-8 (50 points) at the All-Star break and are five points out of a playoff spot. At a corresponding point last season, they were 19-22-7 (45 points) and 12 points out of a wild-card berth. The Flyers killed a Matt Read penalty late in regulation to force overtime.
The Caps tied it on Andre Burakovsky’s second goal of the night, scored with 16 minutes, 5 seconds left after Scott Laughton was unable to control a bouncing puck in the Flyers’ defensive end. Evgeny Kuznetsov fed Burakovsky for his seventh goal. Just 1:12 later, Holtby stopped Wayne Simmonds on a breakaway, then denied Voracek on a rebound.
Voracek had given the Flyers a 3-2 lead on a well-placed wrist shot from the top of the right circle with 2:21 left in the second period. The goal, scored on the short side after Claude Giroux won a faceoff from Kuznetsov, came shortly after Holtby made key stops on R.J. Umberger and Sam Gagner in close.
Gagner knocked Holtby’s stick out of his hands, infuriating the standout goalie, who seemed out of sorts for the next few minutes and committed a delay-of-game penalty after allowing Voracek’s goal.
Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom had scored goals 55 seconds apart early in the second period to knot the score at 2-all. The Capitals had the first 11 shots in the second period.
Because of two snowed-out games, Washington was playing for the first time in eight nights -- and the Caps looked rusty in a Flyers-dominated opening period. “We knew they were off for a few days and we wanted to jump on them,” said Ryan White, who scored his fifth goal, unassisted, in the opening period.
First-period goals by Brayden Schenn (power play) and White gave the Flyers a 2-0 advantage, enabling them to take a lead into the second period for just the sixth time in 48 games. After taking a feed from Simmonds, Schenn beat Holtby with a high shot to the glove side with 15:06 left in the first. Shayne Gostisbehere also had an assist, giving the rookie defenseman points in four straight games. A little over six minutes later, White intercepted a poor clearing pass by Kuznetsov and scored on a one-timer from the slot, putting the Flyers ahead, 2-0. With 4:59 to go in the first, Umberger, trying to score his first goal in the last 50 games - on the one-year anniversary of his last tally - was robbed by Holtby’s glove save near the right post.
The Capitals, who entered the night with an NHL-best 73 points, nearly cut the deficit in half early in the second period. After a Gostisbehere miscue, TJ Oshie had a breakaway, but he fired wide on a shorthanded chance. No matter. Washington scored two quick goals against ex-Capital Michal Neuvirth to draw even before Voracek’s second goal in the last three games.
Washington, which lost the services of 13-goal scorer Marcus Johansson because of a first-period injury, goes into the all-star break with a shiny 35-8-4 record.

Ovechkin to skip All Star Game due to injury
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said he will miss this weekend’s All Star Game because of a nagging lower-body injury. Ovechkin played in his team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, but said he wouldn’t be making the trip to Nashville.
“This was a hard decision but we talk about it, coaching staff, trainers, and we tried to battle through it, but it’s stayed the same,” Ovechkin told reporters of his injury. “I have to get ready for the rest of the year, get healthy, and I think we have a good chance to have success and I want to be a part of it.” Ovechkin had been voted by fans as captain of the Metropolitan Division team after 28 goals and 14 assists this season.
His captaincy for the Capitals, however, is his top priority as Washington (35-8-4) head into the All Star break atop the NHL standings. Under NHL rules, the Russian will now be required to sit out Washington’s game against the Florida Panthers on February 2.