Caps vs. Flyers 2-24-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (38-22; 81 points; 1st Southeast Division, 2nd Eastern Conference, 6th Overall) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (31-26; 71 points; 2nd Atlantic Division, 4th Eastern Conference, 8th Overall):
Caps Game #61, Home Game #31, NHL Game #895

Verizon Center, Washington, DC. 7:08 pm. Washington TV: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Philadelphia TV: Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. Radio: WPHT 1201-AM. NHL Center Ice: Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic feed.

Tonight the Caps, winners of four of their last five games, host the Philadelphia Flyers for the second and final time this season. The Flyers are coming off of Saturday's 5-4 loss at home to the Penguin Scum where Martin Biron's misadventure snapped a 3 game winning streak for the Flyers. The Flyers however have won all three games of their games on the road this month.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post. Times: trying to stick, NHL Report. Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Inquirer: first star, the bad old days.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

We're sure you've seen somewhere by now that the Caps are 12-4 against the Atlantic Division this season. The one loss in regulation came against the Flyers back on December 20th in the 7-1 disaster up in Philadelphia. The Caps fared a little better when the Flyers came to the Phone Booth back in January but needed the gimmick to claim a 2-1 win. This should be another tight checking and low scoring game as both teams are playing well and are preparing themselves for the upcoming playoffs. The Caps do not match up well against the Flyers who we know will play the Caps like Colorado did last Friday and contest every inch of the ice against the Caps. The Caps Power Play will have to be especially vigilant tonight not just because the Flyers have the 8th best Penalty Kill in the in the NHL; but because they also lead the NHL in shorthanded goals by a large margin with 16. The Caps will also want to stay out of the Penalty Box as the Flyers Power Play is ranked right behind ours which means the special teams tonight will play a large role in deciding this game.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Flyers 3
Winner by Gagne

(3-2 on the season)