Flyers Play Caps Close, Fall 4-3 Thursday Night

The Philadelphia Flyers’ losing streak continues as they fell to the red-hot Washington Capitals 4-3 on Thursday night.

Matvei Michkov and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers Thursday night.

With the loss, the Flyers record dropped to 23-26-7, and their losing streak was extended to five games.

Down to the Wire

Washington handed the Flyers the loss Thursday night, but it was not due to a lack of effort. The Flyers took the best team in the Eastern Conference down to the wire.

The Flyers fought until the final horn. Philadelphia held two leads over the conference-leading Capitals, but a third period powered by Lars Eller and Jakob Chychrun was too much for the Flyers. With backup netminder Ivan Fedotov between the pipes, the Flyers were unable to find the saves needed to come out with the win.

A late push with the empty net gave the Flyers a chance at the end, but they were unable to convert.

Michkov’s Two-Point Night

Despite the loss, Matvei Michkov had a much-needed two-point night. The young star had been slumping, tallying just seven points since December 12th heading into Thursday’s game.

In the Flyers’ second-to-last game before the Four Nations break, Michkov had himself a two-goal game. Before the game, John Tortorella talked about the importance of the break for Michkov and his play moving forward.

A strong finish before the break will allow him to refresh while feeling good about his game. He surely was feeling good Thursday night, tallying his second most time on ice this season, 19 minutes flat. He finished with six shots, two goals, and his closest Michigan attempt yet.

Abols Making His Case

The Flyers’ new guys arrived mid-game on Thursday and watched the game from the management suite. That leaves a big decision looming for the Flyers: needing to open two roster spots to activate Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier.

Rodrigo Abols is making a strong case to remain with the Flyers, not just now but for the remainder of the season.

Since being called up by the Flyers, Abols has two points, a goal and an assist. He has played eight games as a Flyer. It took some time to hit his strides, but after getting comfortable, Abols has shown that he belongs in the NHL.

He scored his first career goal in Tuesday’s loss to Utah and tacked on his second career point with a slick assist Thursday vs. Washington.

Abols has also seemingly built some chemistry with Matvei Michkov. His ability to play both center and the left wing should keep him in the running to remain with the Flyers.

What’s Next for the Flyers

The Flyers will play their last game before the Four Nations break on Saturday when the cross-state rival Penguins come to town. The puck drops at 7 P.M. EST.