Flyers-Capitals 5 things: Slowing Alex Ovechkin no easy task

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Flyers at Capitals
8 p.m. on NBCSN

The Flyers (20-18-8) will attempt to snap their three-game losing streak in their final game before the All-Star break when they take on the Washington Capitals (35-8-3) at Verizon Center on Wednesday night.

Here are five things you need to know before puck drop:

1. Alex the great
When facing the Caps, priority No. 1 is usually trying to match up your best defensive players against Alex Ovechkin and pray the worst he does is score a goal. I know, much easier said than done.

Ovechkin, the most prolific goal scorer in the game today, has found the back of the net 28 times this season. Eleven of those markers have come on the power play. He's an absolute force.

So how do you shut him down? The Flyers know it’s going to be tough, especially with shutdown specialist Sean Couturier expected to miss a third straight game with a lower-body injury.

“He’s a top-three player in the world,” Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth said of Ovechkin (see story). “He can shoot the puck. He’s a sniper and a very dangerous player. Every time he is on the ice, he is open.

“I am going to have to have my head on a swivel and know where he is all the time. We have to be prepared right from the get-go. It’s going to be a good test for us and a fun game.”

The Flyers aren't going to have their hands full with just Ovechkin, either. Washington leads the entire NHL with 153 goals scored, boasts the best power-play percentage at 27.1 and has seven skaters with at least 13 markers already. The Caps also have 97 goals at even strength, which is the most in the league. Could be a long night for the orange and black.

2. Health concerns in net
I think it’s safe to say Flyers goalies won’t be complaining about the upcoming All-Star break.

Starter Steve Mason had a maintenance day Monday, served as the backup against the Boston Bruins and didn’t take part in Tuesday’s optional skate. Neuvirth, the club’s backup, thought he tweaked his groin during Saturday’s session in Brooklyn but was well enough to start on Monday, though he was seen limping badly after making 28 saves in the loss.

Perhaps both netminders need some time off to rest their bodies.

Head coach Dave Hakstol, as per usual, said he wouldn’t confirm who will be between the pipes until gameday but signs point to Neuvirth making his first-ever start against his former club. Neuvirth was drafted in the second round (36th overall) of the 2006 NHL draft by the Capitals and spent his first six NHL seasons in Washington.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a fun game," he said. "I kind of enjoy it. Obviously, it’s a huge game. I know what I have to do. I like playing under pressure. I like playing big games. I am just going to do what I do and give my best.”

3. Finally, a game
If anything, the Caps should have fresh legs when they take the ice at Verizon Center.

The last time Washington played a game was Jan. 19, when it handled the Blue Jackets, 6-3, in Columbus. Winter Storm Jonas then forced the Caps to postpone games on Friday and Sunday because of heavy snowfall and dangerous traveling conditions.

Head coach Barry Trotz kept his team fresh, however, doing his best to simulate game conditions in the last few practices.

Washington, which owns the best record in the NHL, still has a lot to play for, too. The Caps are in position to match a 13-game home winning streak from 2009-10 as their longest ever.

They could have a vital piece back, as well. Defenseman John Carlson, who has missed 12 games with an upper-body injury, was upgraded from doubtful to possible against the Flyers. Carlson, arguably the club's most valuable blueliner, has six goals and 27 points in 34 games this season.

4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Fairly easy pick here. How about Wayne Simmonds? The tough-nosed forward was an absolute hawk in front of the net in Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Bruins, tallying both of the Flyers’ goals on rebounds. It marked the 20th time in his career -- third time this season -- that Simmonds recorded two or more scores in a single game. He’s currently tied with Claude Giroux for the team lead in goals (14) and is tops in power-play markers with six. Simmonds, who is known to be streaky, is on a bit of a tear. He has four goals and two assists in his last six games and has fired 26 shots during that stretch. Hard to bet against No. 17 right now.

Capitals: It’s not often that Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin have competition in the point department. This year is different. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov actually enters Wednesday leading Washington in scoring with 48 points in 46 games. He also has a team-high 33 assists after collecting three helpers against the New York Rangers on Jan. 17 and four more in a win over Columbus two nights later. There's a lot to like about the 23-year-old's game. He's electric with the puck and displays plenty of grit in all three zones. Just another weapon in the Capitals' high-powered offense. It's almost unfair.

5. This and that
• Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Flyers have posted a 13-5-3 record against the Capitals. They were, however, handed a 5-2 defeat in the first meeting between these two clubs this season on Nov. 12 at the Wells Fargo Center.

• The Flyers are just 4 for 8 on the penalty kill over their past two games.

• In their last 11 games, the Caps are 11 for 32 on the power play.

• The Flyers have dropped three consecutive one-goal games in regulation.

• Braden Holtby has faced the Flyers 14 times. He's 5-4-4 with two shutouts, a .900 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against average in those tilts.

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