The Flyers played relentlessly for three-plus months to earn a wild-card spot, but the momentum they carried into the Stanley Cup playoffs has come to a screeching halt. Blame the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals, showing why they led the NHL in points during a pristine regular season, overcame an early deficit and an emotionally charged crowd Monday at the Wells Fargo Center, trouncing the Flyers, 6-1, and moving close to wrapping up the opening-round series.
Washington has a 3-0 lead and can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.
In franchise history, the Flyers are 1-8 when losing the first three games of a series. That win was against Boston in the 2010 conference semi-finals. The Flyers later reached the Stanley Cup Finals that season.
Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals and Washington went 5 for 9 on the power play en route to the stunningly easy victory.
With 7 minutes, 43 seconds left, there was an all-out brawl and fans -- unhappy with the penalties that were accessed -- heaved at least 50 glow-in-the-dark wristbands, which were handed out before the game, onto the ice.
That caused a delay, and the fans were scolded by public-address announcer Lou Nolan: “Show class,” he said sternly. “... The next one who does it will cause us a minor penalty. Do not do it!”
A short time later, more wristbands were thrown after Ovechkin put the Caps ahead, 5-1, by scoring a power-play goal with 5:02 to go.
A delay-of-game penalty was called on the fans.
“Way to go!” Nolan bellowed.
Earlier, the Capitals took a 2-1 lead when Ovechkin, who came off the bench after a line change, beat Steve Mason with a wrist shot from just above the right circle. Ovechkin’s shot, which was almost blocked by Radko Gudas’ stick, went to the far side, inside the left post.
Washington made it 3-1 on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s power-play goal with 18:02 left in the third. Mason couldn’t control a strange bounce off the boards and Kuznetsov swooped in and finished off the play.
Fifty-seven seconds into the game, with the tribute video to the late Ed Snider still on everyone’s mind, Michael Raffl knocked in a rebound to give the Flyers their first lead of the series.
Brandon Manning’s shot was turned aside by Braden Holtby, but Brooks Orpik failed to clear Raffl, and he scored the first playoff goal of his career.
“It was pretty easy to get up for this game with the tribute to Mr. Snider,” Manning said, “and we took advantage of it early.”
But the lead didn’t last long as the Flyers’ special teams continued their meltdown.