The 0-2 hole the Flyers face as the first-round series shifts to Philadelphia on Monday is not the only obstacle. In addition to the uphill climb, the Flyers need to find a way to reverse the trend of the Capitals dominating them in every facet of the game. And we mean, everyfacet – offense, defense, goaltending and special teams. When looking back at the first two games, consider:
“I’m not too sure what to say, to be honest,” Captain Claude Giroux told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “I think we played a good game, but at the end of the day we need to win the game.” Despite their dire situation, the Flyers can point to positives such as they were 23-10-8 at the Wells Fargo Center this season and the Capitals are just 4-6 when taking a 2-0 series lead.
Even though they will have the fans on their side and a Washington team with a checkered postseason past, it’s no secret that the special teams has been and will continue to be the difference. The Flyers, who looked much improved on the power play on Saturday over last Thursday, need to cash in with the man-advantage. It shouldn’t need to be stated, but the Flyers must keep a better eye on Alex Ovechkin, who was left all alone on his power-play goal on Saturday that extended the Flyers’ deficit to 3-1 late in the second period. “I thought our power play was pretty good tonight,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I don’t know, you can go back and count the number of opportunities we had, but their goaltender was a little bit better so I guess we have to be a little bit better.” They will likely have to be a lot better in all areas if they want to win both games in Philly and climb back into the series.
“We’re going to go home, and we fully intend to take the next two games,” Wayne Simmonds said. “We’re confident in one another, and we’ve done it all year.”
Flyers fighting themselves as much as 0-2 hole against Washington
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