(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Flyers keep their playoff hopes alive with a win on Sunday in Vancouver to close out a three-game road trip. Their return home comes against the hottest team in the NHL.
Much like last season, the Washington Capitals are taking a competitive Eastern Conference by storm, leading the way with 85 points in the standings. The Flyers have their work cut out for them heading into this matchup, as they look to keep fighting for a playoff spot as the season's final 20 games rapidly approach.
The opening face-off is set for 8 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Capitals Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 59 | 15 | 34 | 49 | Nicklas Backstrom | 58 | 17 | 44 | 61 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 59 | 25 | 17 | 42 | Alex Ovechkin | 58 | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| Claude Giroux | 59 | 12 | 30 | 42 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | 58 | 12 | 33 | 45 |
| Brayden Schenn | 56 | 18 | 20 | 38 | T.J. Oshie | 49 | 23 | 18 | 41 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 53 | 4 | 21 | 25 | Marcus Johansson | 58 | 19 | 21 | 40 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 19 Nicklas Backstrom |
| Last 5 Games: 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, -3 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 6 A, 8 P, +1 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 30 Michal Neuvirth | 70 Braden Holtby |
| 10-7-1, 2.78 GAA, .890 SV% | 29-8-5, 2.01 GAA, .926 SV% |
Michal Neuvirth makes his fifth straight start on Wednesday night, opposing his former team. Neuvirth is 2-2-0 in his previous four starts, allowing 11 goals on 91 shots.
Braden Holtby gets the start for the Capitals. Holtby had a four-game winning streak snapped with a shootout loss to the Red Wings on Saturday. Prior to the team's bye week the week before, Holtby had won four games in a row, posting one shutout. Holtby may not be on pace to catch his career-high of 48 wins from a season ago, but he remains one of the NHL's most reliable goalies.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Travis Konecny, Jordan Weal, Michael Del Zotto, Nick Schultz
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 22 Dale Weise | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 25 Nick Cousins | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 13 Roman Lyubimov |
| Defense | ||
| 32 Mark Streit | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 3 Radko Gudas | 23 Brandon Manning | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Michal Neuvirth |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-8th, 9th at home), Capitals (5th, T-6th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (16th, T-12th at home), Capitals (T-6th, 7th on road)
- Recent History vs. Capitals
- Dec. 21, 2016 - The Flyers claimed a 3-2 shootout win over the Capitals in Philadelphia. Andre Burakovsky opened the scoring late in the first period before Michael Raffl scored the tying goal just over four minutes into the second. The teams traded goals later in the second with Lars Eller scoring for Washington and Claude Giroux tying the game with 21 seconds left in the period. After a scoreless third and a hectic overtive, the Flyers got goals from Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds in the shootout to secure the win.
- Jan. 15, 2017 – The Capitals routed the Flyers, 5-0, in Washington. Through two periods, Washington held a 1-0 lead on a goal by Andre Burakovsky. But in the third, a pair of goals by Matt Niskanen and Justin Williams started the rout and the Capitals rolled to a shutout win behind 24 saves from Phillip Grubauer.
- Flyers leaders vs. Capitals
- Claude Giroux – 31 games, 16 goals, 16 assists, 32 points
- Jake Voracek - 27 games, 11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points
- Mark Streit - 39 games, 8 goals, 18 assists, 26 points
- Michal Neuvirth - 2 games, 1-0-0, 2.47 GAA, .914 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux plays in his 634th career game tonight, moving him into 12th place all-time in Flyers history.
Where to Watch
TV: NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
