WASHINGTON — It was what you’d expect in a Game 1.
Hits came from all angles and 56 penalty minutes were accrued.
But just once was a power play punctuated by a goal and it wasn’t by the Flyers, who were blanked by the Capitals, 2-0, at the Verizon Center in Thursday night’s Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
The eighth-seeded Flyers dropped to 4-14 in Game 1s since 2003.
Top-seeded Washington, which racked up 56 regular-season wins — third-most in single-season NHL history — improved to 24-16 all-time in Game 1s to snare a 1-0 series lead.
The Flyers had chances in the first period but couldn’t push one past Capitals goalie Braden Holtby.
Washington put Steve Mason under heavy attack in the second and finally beat him before scoring again late in the third to seal it.
Notable goals
John Carlson broke the scoreless tie at 16:21 of the second period thanks to a fortuitous bounce.
From the point, the defenseman ripped a slap shot into a jumble of bodies — two Flyers and a pair of Capitals. The puck looked to hit both Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, causing a wild redirection that went past two Washington skaters in front, and finally Mason, for a 1-0 lead.
Late in the third period, Jakub Voracek was stripped by Marcus Johansson, which led to Jay Beagle’s insurance marker four seconds later with just over three minutes left in regulation.
Goalie report
Mason, who started 17 of the Flyers’ final 19 regular-season games, made his ninth career postseason start and first since April 30, 2014.
He fended off a furious storm in second period until the wacky deflection. In the middle stanza, he made 14 saves and finished the game with 29.
Holtby won an NHL-record-tying 48 games in the regular season. He showed why Thursday night, stopping 19 shots.
He made five saves over the Flyers’ three first-period power plays to quell an early threat.
Couturier exits
Sean Couturier left the game in the second period after taking a hit into the boards from Alex Ovechkin at 11:13.
Couturier went to the locker room favoring his shoulder. He suffered an AC sprain and is out for the remainder of the series, a league source told CSNPhilly.com's Tim Panaccio (see story).
Power play
The Flyers, who were 3 for their last 17 entering the postseason, went scoreless on a trio of man advantages in the first period. They got one more and came up empty.
The Capitals cashed in on their third man advantage, ultimately the difference.
Penalty kill
The Capitals’ PK was successful in 55 of its last 62 opportunities and held the Flyers to 0 for 4.
The Flyers played with fire, killing Washington’s first two despite quality looks. The Capitals cracked the code on the third and finished 1 for 6.
Friendly fight
Simmonds said after morning skate that he and Capitals right winger Tom Wilson were friends and train together in the offseason. The two dropped the gloves in the third period.
Hits
Claude Giroux said this week that the first period of a playoff series is “everybody running around trying to rip each other’s head off.”
Simmonds called it “smash-mouth hockey.”
It lived up the billing.
Ryan White delivered a big hit on Andre Burakovsky along the back boards 1:34 into the game.
Thirty-two seconds later, Sam Gagner was rocked by Nate Schmidt.
In total, the Capitals outhit the Flyers in the first period, 17-10, and in the game, 29-26.
Tribute
The Capitals held a moment of silence before the game for the Flyers’ late founder Ed Snider, who died Monday at the age of 83.
History
This is the fifth postseason meeting between the Flyers and Capitals. They split the previous four series.
The Flyers won the most recent in 2008, beating the Capitals in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals over seven games.
Scratches
The usual for the Flyers: Forwards Scott Laughton, R.J. Umberger and Jordan Weal, along with defenseman Evgeny Medvedev.
For the Capitals: Forwards Michael Latta and Stanislav Galiev and defensemen Taylor Chorney and Mike Weber.
Next up
Game 2 is Saturday (7 p.m./CSN) at the Verizon Center.