The Flyers gave their fans a much better game Wednesday night as they beat the Capitals, 4-1, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and Owen Tippett provided the team’s goals.
Tippett iced the game with an empty-netter.
Drysdale’s marker came at 4-on-4 in the third period and was important insurance.
In the second period, just 51 seconds after Konecny took a huge hit from Tom Wilson, the Flyers responded with their first lead as Zegras finished an odd-man rush.
“I think we’ve shown it many times over the years that we have each other’s back in here and it doesn’t matter who it is,” Tippett said. “Any time anyone gets hit like that, especially your leading point scorer, we’re going to have a response and not back down.”
Konecny, celebrating his 29th birthday, put the Flyers on the board in the middle stanza to draw them even.
The Flyers (30-23-11) really needed a win in front of their fans. They had dropped their previous two home games by a combined score of 9-2.
They were blanked by the Mammoth, 3-0, last Thursday night when they had a chance to win four straight. Two nights ago, with an opportunity to make things interesting in the playoff race, they got rocked by the Rangers, 6-2.
“We had pretty poor efforts the last two home games,” Drysdale said. “The fans have showed up for us consistently this year, so we needed to bring it tonight.”
Rick Tocchet’s club is 2-1-0 in its regular-season series against the Capitals (32-27-7). The teams meet once more in a little under three weeks at Capital One Arena.
“I think we owed it, an effort, for the fans,” Tocchet said. “I thought a lot of guys showed up tonight, getting into scrums, fighting back. It was one of those type of games.”
Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras and Rick Tocchet spoke on Owen Tippett’s impactful game Wednesday against the Capitals.
• Samuel Ersson made his first start in March and converted 21 saves on 22 shots.
The 26-year-old was rock solid and the Flyers played significantly better compared to two nights ago against New York.
“It was nice to get a bounce-back win after last game,” Ersson said. “We knew in the room that we had to come out with a strong performance and we did that.”
The Flyers fell into a 1-0 hole for the 44th time over 64 games. With Zegras in the penalty box for holding, Ryan Leonard laced one home to hand Washington a first-period lead.
But Konecny and Zegras sparked the Flyers in the second period. The Flyers took the lead when the speed of Zegras and Tippett created what was basically a 2-on-0, which Zegras capped off with his 22nd goal.
“To play with him is such a treat,” Zegras said of Tippett. “He had, like, six breakaways. He fell down on the 2-on-0 that we had and he was still skating faster than me. It’s wild.”
Tippett looked like the best player on the ice with his blend of power and speed.
“He has just got so much potential,” Konecny said. “I love when you see him realize it during a game and he’s like, ‘This is my game and I’m taking over.’ It’s fun to watch.”
By going with Ersson, the Flyers were able to give Dan Vladar an extra day of rest. Prior to Wednesday night, the 28-year-old had started six of the Flyers’ seven games out of the Olympic break.
Capitals netminder Logan Thompson stopped 18 of the Flyers’ 21 shots.
After making five straight starts and six of seven out of the Olympic break, Dan Vladar will have the night off and back up Samuel Ersson.
“He might have been a little tired,” Rick Tocchet said. “He’ll never admit it. But we’ve got to be conscious of that.” pic.twitter.com/p4MlotlWG7
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) March 11, 2026
• The Flyers improved to 2-1-0 since last Friday’s trade deadline, when they sent Bobby Brink to the Wild and Nicolas Deslauriers to the Hurricanes.
Konecny is in his 10th season with the Flyers. The alternate captain has been to the playoffs twice and has seen the Flyers be sellers at the last six deadlines.
“You lose buddies,” Konecny said after morning skate. “Also, you’re watching other teams get better, gearing up for a playoff run. It’s just a time of year where you’ve got to stay positive and make sure everyone in the room has their head in the right spot and we know what we’re working toward. Kind of move on.”
With 18 games to go, the Flyers are seven points back of the Bruins, who hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
Travis Konency scored his 24th goal on his 29th birthday to tie the Flyers vs. Capitals game Wednesday at 1-1.
• Drysdale now has 14 goals over the last two seasons.
The 23-year-old has come a long way defensively. But he has also improved his shot, which has allowed him to confidently jump up into the play for offensive opportunities.
“He has got a lot more confidence,” Konecny said. “I think they’ve been working with him a lot, sticking with him on the power play, really letting him feel himself. You can just see his confidence when he’s breaking out pucks. He’s a big player for us.”
• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit Brink and the Wild (8 p.m. ET/NBCSP).