Flyers edge Caps

By Eric Redner
The Phanatic Magazine

R.J. Umberger had a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers notched a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center.

Daniel Briere and Mike Richards each notched a goal for the Flyers, who came into the game having dropped three of the last four. Antero Niittymaki got his first win of the season as he made 24 saves.

Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Ovechkin each scored a goal while Olaf Kolzig stopped 26 shots for the Capitals, who have dropped four of their last five games.

The Flyers were dominated in the first period, but rebounded in the second period and lit the lamp twice to grab the lead.

Briere tied the game at the 8:03 mark as he worked a give-and-go with Umberger. Briere skated into the Washington end and from the high slot gave the puck to Umberger, who skated to the left circle and dished it to Briere as the center got behind the defense and tapped the puck past Kolzig.

Philadelphia then grabbed a 2-1 lead with 4:08 left in the second as Joffrey Lupul hit Richards with a pass in the neutral zone and Richards skated to the left circle and snapped a shot over the glove of Kolzig and into the right corner of the net.

The Flyers made it a 3-1 game with a power-play goal as Umberger cranked a slap shot from the left circle that beat Kolzig with Scott Hartnell setting up a screen at the 1:33 mark of the third.

The goal proved fortunate as the Capitals made it a one-goal game on the power play. Michael Nylander won a left circle faceoff and got the puck back to Ovechkin, who blasted a slapper that Niittymaki hit with his glove, but it retained enough momentum to get into the net with a little over four minutes to play.

Washington got Kolzig out of the net for the extra attacker with under a minute remaining, but was unable to get the game-tying goal.

The Capitals dominated play for much of the opening period and got the only goal of the stanza.
On a 3-on-2 rush, Nylander sent a pass from the left side that hit off the stick of Nicklas Backstrom and went right to Fleischmann, who swiped the bouncing puck past Niittymaki at the 7:29 mark.

Washington outshot Philadelphia, 14-6, in the first period.