(Photo: Kate Frese)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
For one night, the Flyers had closed the gap to three points of the final wildcard spot before Tuesday provided the harsh reminder that scoreboard watching can be agonizing.
The Flyers enter Thursday's game, their 70th of the season, with a five-point deficit in the standings once again. It could be three again by the end of the night if they get help from the Islanders again and take care of business, but that is easier said than done against the division leaders who also made things look very easy in their trip to Philadelphia last week.
The Washington Capitals return to Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers look to keep the momentum going after back-to-back wins.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Washington Capitals | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 69 | 20 | 53 | 73 | Alex Ovechkin | 69 | 46 | 32 | 78 |
| Sean Couturier | 67 | 28 | 37 | 65 | Nicklas Backstrom | 69 | 18 | 49 | 67 |
| Jake Voracek | 66 | 18 | 43 | 61 | John Carlson | 69 | 11 | 50 | 61 |
| Travis Konecny | 69 | 22 | 22 | 44 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | 64 | 17 | 43 | 60 |
| James van Riemsdyk | 53 | 20 | 17 | 37 | T.J. Oshie | 59 | 21 | 23 | 44 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 19 Nolan Patrick | 8 Alex Ovechkin |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +2 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, -3 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 79 Carter Hart | 70 Braden Holtby |
| 22 GP, 13-8-1, 2.79 GAA, .917 SV% | 50 GP, 26-17-4, 2.91 GAA, .909 SV% |
Carter Hart makes his return. The 20-year-old makes his first start since Feb. 21, when he allowed three goals on nine shots to Montreal and was pulled in the first period. Hart is also making his first career start against the Capitals.
Braden Holtby has been on a roll lately. Until Tuesday's loss to Pittsburgh, where he allowed four goals on 29 shots, Holtby had won five straight starts, including a 25-save shutout against the Devils. Over the five-game winning streak, the Flyers were actually the team that solved him most, scoring three goals on 30 shots in a 5-3 loss.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Michal Neuvirth
Scratches: Jake Voracek, Andrew MacDonald, Brian Elliott, Sam Morin
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 23 Oskar Lindblom | 14 Sean Couturier | 28 Claude Giroux |
| 25 James van Riemsdyk | 19 Nolan Patrick | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 21 Scott Laughton | 38 Ryan Hartman |
| 44 Phil Varone | 10 Corban Knight | 27 Justin Bailey |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 6 Travis Sanheim | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 61 Phil Myers | |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
Justin Bailey was called up on Thursday morning to take the place of Voracek in the lineup while he serves out the final game of his suspension, giving the Flyers a 12-forward lineup. Andrew MacDonald comes out of the lineup. Cam Talbot will serve as the backup for Carter Hart.
Capitals Projected Lineup
Scratches: Nic Dowd, Dmitrij Jaskin, Christian Djoos
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 8 Alex Ovechkin | 92 Evgeny Kuznetsov | 43 Tom Wilson |
| 13 Jakub Vrana | 19 Nicklas Backstrom | 77 T.J. Oshie |
| 62 Carl Hagelin | 20 Lars Eller | 10 Brett Connolly |
| 65 Andre Burakovsky | 18 Chandler Stephenson | 72 Travis Boyd |
| Defense | ||
| 6 Michal Kempny | 74 John Carlson | |
| 9 Dmitry Orlov | 2 Matt Niskanen | |
| 44 Brooks Orpik | 3 Nick Jensen | |
| Goalie | ||
| 70 Braden Holtby |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (22nd, 16th at home), Capitals (9th, T-16th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th, 24th at home), Capitals (23rd, 23rd on road)
- Recent History vs. Capitals
- Jan. 8, 2019 – Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at WSH)
- March 6, 2019 – Capitals 5, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Capitals
- Claude Giroux – 39 GP, 20 G, 20 A, 40 P
- Sean Couturier – 27 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 28 GP, 7 G, 11 A, 18 P
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
