Capitals edge Flyers, 5-3

Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie scored two goals apiece as the host Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Tuesday night. Washington has won two games in a row while the Flyers have dropped eight straight. It also was Philadelphia's second loss in two nights as the Blues blanked them 3-0 Monday in Philadelphia. Washington played without center Nicklas Backstrom, who hadn't been feeling well the past few days, so the Capitals held him out.

Also, this was the first of four games between the Capitals and Flyers this season. The Capitals took command with three goals in just over 6 1/2 minutes of the second period. With the game tied at 1-1, Oshie put Washington in front, and then Vrana added two more. Vrana also had a first-period assist, and John Carlson added two assists. Washington goalie Pheonix Copley earned the victory, making 37 saves to improve to 10-2-0 in his rookie season.

Tom Wilson gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead 4:21 into the game by burying a cross from Vrana past goalie Mike McKenna. The Flyers tied it when Oskar Lindblom picked off a cross-ice pass from Washington defenseman Michal Kempny, broke into the Capitals' zone and fed Jakub Voracek (one goal, one assist) for a one-timer past Copley at 9:28. Washington took a 2-1 lead when Oshie redirected a Lars Eller shot from near the blue line into the net at 9:19 of the second period.

Vrana then stretched the lead to 3-1 by poking the puck away from Claude Giroux in the defensive zone. That let Vrana race in on a breakaway, and he scored just 2:03 after the Oshie goal. Then, Vrana got a bit of a break on the goal that made it 4-1 with 4:05 left in the second. He was just to the left of McKenna and tried to shoot a pass through the crease, but instead it hit the goalie and went in for a power-play goal, his 14th goal of the season. Wayne Simmonds scored for the Flyers in the third period, and Giroux cut the lead to 4-3 with 6.7 seconds left. Oshie then notched an empty-net goal with 2.1 seconds remaining.