It sure felt like the dagger was firmly placed in the Philadelphia Flyers (29-23-11) playoff hopes on Monday night in their loss to the Rangers. With 19 games to go, it’s the sobering realization of another lost season.

One team also fighting for playoff position is the Flyers’ opponent on Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals (32-26-7). Fresh off a win on Monday against Calgary, Washington looks to stay the course and keep pace in the standings. Game time is at 7:30 PM from Xfinity Mobile Arena.

How to WatchProjected Flyers Lines vs. CapitalsForwards

20 Alex Bump – 22 Christian Dvorak – 11 Travis Konecny
52 Denver Barkey – 27 Noah Cates – 39 Matvei Michkov
91 Carl Grundstrom – 46 Trevor Zegras – 74 Owen Tippett
29 Nikita Grebenkin – 14 Sean Couturier – 41 Luke Glendening

Defense

6 Travis Sanheim – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
8 Cam York – 9 Jamie Drysdale
24 Nick Seeler – 47 Noah Juulsen

Goalies

33 Sam Ersson
80 Dan Vladar

Scratches: Emil Andrae, Garnet Hathaway

Injury & Roster UpdatesLineup Updates: Garnet Hathaway and Emil Andrae remain scratches as the Flyers will use the same lineup as Monday’s game.Starting Goalie: Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson makes his first start since Feb. 26, a win over the Rangers where he made 22 saves on 24 shots. Ersson made three saves in the third period on Monday in relief.InjuriesRodrigo Abols: fractured ankle, out at least two months from Jan. 21Tyson Foerster: surgery on right arm on Dec. 17, out five months.Opponent Snapshot: Washington CapitalsOpponent record: 32-26-7Special Teams RankingPower Play: 16.4% (28th)Penalty Kill: 78.6% (17st)Who’s hot?: Aliaksei Protas has three goals and 10 points in the last nine games. Jakob Chychrun has 14 points in the last 13 games. Pierre-Luc Dubois has four goals and six points in the last seven games.Who’s in net?: Logan Thompson is expected to start for the Capitals. Thompson has a 22-18-4 with a 2.42 GAA and .912 save percentage this season. He made 23 saves on 26 shots in a win over Calgary in his last start on Monday. Thompson made 23 saves in a 3-1 win over the Flyers on Feb. 25.Injuries: There are no current injuries for the Capitals.Keys to the GameProtect the Middle: The Flyers allowed the Rangers to have their way in the middle ice, especially netfront. They will need to tighten up against the Capitals.Puck Support: Board battles were also an issue in the Flyers’ loss on Monday. Better puck support is necessary to maintain possession and avoid breakdowns.Quality Over Quantity: The Flyers took 34 shots on goal on Monday, but had 26 in the final two periods with the game mostly out of hand. Better quality in shots can lead to better opportunities for offense.By the NumbersThe Flyers have allowed the first goal of the game in 43 of 63 games this season.The Capitals are tied for third in the NHL with 80 third-period goals.Alex Ovechkin has 52 career goals against the Flyers. He has no points in two games against the Flyers this season.Quotable”As a coaching staff and a coach, you’re trying to loosen them up. I thought some guys looked nervous, even our power play. We had moments, I mean, the breakaway. Things could have changed. We had a power play, then all of a sudden bang, bang it’s 3-1, 4-1, and then you’re chasing the game. You can’t be nervous. You’ve got to trust your instincts. Some guys had the hot potato going, like, just relax. Just play in your mind when you go out there, when the puck comes to me in this situation, I’m going to do this. These are the mental reps you can do also. That’s the stuff we’ve got to keep working on when you have a young team. You’ve got to work on that stuff, and you’re going to get games like this where you get kicked in the teeth, and this is where character and passion and all that stuff is going to be tested.” – Rick Tocchet after Monday’s loss to the RangersX-FactorsOwen Tippett: Tippett reached the 20-goal mark for the fourth season in a row on Saturday, also matching his total from the 2024-25 season. With 19 games to go in the season, Tippett is eight goals and 16 points away from matching his career highs.Aliaksei Protas: Protas has emerged as one of the Capitals’ top goal scorers, and he’s put it on full display against the Flyers. Protas has goals in each of the two games against the Flyers this season.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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