Tuch and Kyrou double up as Capitals handle Flyers 5-2
Two goals each from Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou and a suffocating second period gave Washington a fourth win in five games while Philadelphia sank to 3-8-4.
The Washington Capitals look like themselves again. Behind two goals apiece from Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, Washington beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 at Capital One Arena on Wednesday — a fourth win in five games that pushed the Capitals to 7-4-0, while Philadelphia fell to 3-8-4 with a 12th loss in its first 15 games.
How it happened
Tuch opened the scoring just 1:50 in, burying a rebound of a Jack St. Ivany shot. Sean Couturier tied it early in the second with his first goal of the season, but the middle frame belonged to Washington: Kyrou converted a power-play rebound at 7:14, and Aliaksei Protas tipped in a Matt Roy point shot at 16:47 — also his first of the year — for a 3-1 lead. Matvei Michkov pulled Philadelphia within one on a third-period power play before Kyrou's second, off the right post at 12:51, and Tuch's empty-netter settled it, per the NHL.com recap. Dylan Strome had three assists; Logan Thompson made 23 saves, while Joseph Woll stopped 25 for the Flyers.
The turning point
The second period decided it. Coach Spencer Carbery said the Capitals "sucked the life out of their team" in the middle frame, and Strome called it "probably our most complete 60 minutes." Washington is now 4-1-0 on its five-game homestand and has won six straight home meetings with Philadelphia dating to March 2024.
What it means
For the Flyers — on the second night of a back-to-back after Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Columbus — the frustration is turning inward. Captain Couturier said the team has been soft at times and needs more physicality, and coach Rick Tocchet said his group got "a little shy" in stretches, per NHL.com. At 3-8-4 through 15 games, the margin for a slow fix is shrinking fast, as the Philadelphia Inquirer chronicled.